Slept So Long
by Samurai Smee
Summary: Captivated right away with a single look at such troubled beauty, Edward realizes that he will not stop until he unravels the mystery behind the gorgeous stranger's curious behavior and the reasons why they need each other. AU fic, all human.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Slept So Long

**Chapter One**

_Edward's POV_

"How's your fettuccine, sis? It definitely smells good," I mused lightheartedly to my younger sister, Alice, who lifted her spiky black head of hair up from hovering over her steaming plate of pasta upon hearing my question.

"It is good; everything is great, big bro," my pixie-sized sibling smiled jovially at me after swallowing another bite of her meal, prompting me to easily smile along with her enthusiasm and genuine good nature.

"Good," I replied, directing my eyes back down towards my own porcelain plate filled with a delicious lasagna bake which I personally knew to be one of the best in town, "...mine is really good, too. Would you like try some?"

"Sure!" Alice beamed at me from across the checker-clothed table we were currently sitting at, our location within the classic-style Italian restaurant being at the front of the establishment where the large, thick-paned windows showcased the bustling city streets beyond.

Blinking my emerald eyes at her nearly contagious vibrance before picking up my knife and fork to begin sizing up a respectable portion to offer her, my mind briefly drifted over the facts of my situation.

It had been out of the blue, a split-decision on my part, to call my younger sister one afternoon of the previous week and invite her to dinner as my treat.

She had agreed without hesitation, as the two of us barely saw each other anymore, and I had felt instantly relieved that my idea for entertaining a member of my family had succeeded.

Truth be told, I knew why I had called Alice so suddenly, taking her away from her college dormitory located upstate so that we may have a nice meal wherever she wished.

I was lonely.

Again, with my baby sister focusing on her studies, and my brother Riley happily married and living in another state, I felt that I had been somewhat left behind...or that I had intentionally stayed behind.

It had not been a completely conscious act for me to gradually lose all my once close-knit ties with my family, but it had happened...and I was beginning to tire of being alone so much.

"Eddie, your lasagna tastes great!" Alice confirmed to me after theatrically swooning over her bite of the portion of lasagna I had forked over to her during my seemingly constant self-berating, "...the next time we come here, I think I'm going to get that."

I chuckled at Alice's glee about our food, admittedly pleased that she wished to have dinner with me here again sometime, as I nodded at her words and reached to retrieve my glass of red wine.

"Oh, holy cow, Eddie..." Alice suddenly leaned in a little bit, speaking in a lowered, more covert tone, as she kept her large eyes glued to something outside through the glass windows whilst she spoke, "...don't look now, but there is this gorgeous guy on a motorcycle that just pulled up...!"

I could not help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow at my sister's strange but endearing antics as I set my wine back on the table, and turned a little in my chair to follow Alice's line of vision that lead out to the sidewalk just beyond our restaurant.

Having expected to see a mere pretty face on yet another mediocre-looking guy, my jaw fell open in utter shock as I beheld long, toned, jean-clad legs swinging off from an impressive motorcycle, making this unbelievably attractive man rise to his full, delicious height.

His fitted, black leather jacket that sported a few orange and white stripes that ran down only the right side of his chiseled chest, clung to his arms, as he lifted them up to unstrap his helmet, instantly revealing dazzling, golden curls that fell to his strong chin that seemed to instantly brighten the dreary, grey-tinted city.

The people around this man, the buildings behind him, just seemed to subtly slip away from my focus, as my jade-colored eyes blinked at nothing whilst zeroing in on solely him, his stature proving to be powerful in its modesty, his presence completely commandeering my own the more I watched him.

I swallowed hard at the striking image of such unexpected beauty happening right before my eyes, all of me completely intrigued by the fact that his choice of transportation was a sleek, black motorcycle, of how impossibly tempting he looked smoothing out his white tee-shirt underneath his opened jacket...how unmistakeably...downtrodden his flawless profile appeared to be.

"I told you so...!" Alice chimed in merrily, her chipper words only minutely breaking the spell this enticing, stunning man seemed to have on me, as I unabashedly gaped at the way he bent his perfect body over to hang his helmet on one of the handlebars of his motorcycle, allowing me a mind-warping view of his taut back and broad shoulders whilst he did so.

"_...damn..."_ I mentally murmured to myself upon seeing such an involuntarily seductive action performed by this indisputably fascinating creature as he stood up straight once more, allowed someone to pass in front of him on the sidewalk, and then began stepping along with the sporadic groups of passersby that made downtown this time of evening flourish and move.

My gaze followed the gorgeous, blonde-haired man as he made his way from his motorcycle, mixing in with the passing crowd on the sidewalk but not entirely as he still stood out to my eyes, as he headed away from the restaurant and towards another part of the downtown district and I could literally feel the world come back to me as a result.

I faced forward in my chair once more now that I could no longer track his movements, my eyes downcast and pensive as I simply could not get that man's stunning profile out of my head, how quietly troubled he had looked, how enrapturing his whole aura was still to me.

I had not even seen all of his face, but I knew the expression he wore perfectly...because I had seen it on myself too many times to count.

It was the face of a man burdened by the trivial as well as the trampling in spite of not voicing a word of it aloud to anyone; I knew it all-too well to mistake for anything but.

The motorcycle riding, jacket-wearing man's god-like form made him sexy, but the sheer melancholy that I had seen in his handsome features...made him mesmerizing.

...a perfect contradiction that had taken place within the space of a few minutes.

"_What are his reasons for such a look...why is he so...sad...?"_ I re-envisioned the magnificent, nameless contradiction almost immediately, my mind sifting through a million different reasons as to why such a man, a man who just seemed born and bred for sunlight and smiles, would seem so impossibly downhearted.

"...Eddie...?" Alice voiced to me, tilting her raven head to a side as she, no doubt, puzzled over my far-away expression and blatant ignorance to everything else making up my surroundings but the tiny chip in my plate whilst I pondered the wonderment I had just witnessed.

"_He was...absolutely lovely...beautiful blonde hair...strong build...Jesus...looks like he could probably lift that bike right off the ground if he wanted to..."_ I continued to feed my own imagination through my recollections, the idea briefly occurring to me that some aged workshop master somewhere had actually crafted this man out of the finest marble so that his radiant male beauty would last forever and dazzle all those whom cast their eyes upon him.

"_...speaking of casting their eyes upon him...his motorcycle is parked just right outside here...that means he is going to have to come back here...right here, right to this spot...to get it later..."_ I deduced such logic to myself, already able to picture short scenarios playing out in my mind's eye as to how I would be waiting for this tall, blonde-haired gentleman, leaning against his own motorcycle with my hands coyly yet casually inside my pockets, and, when he returned...he would smile this charming smile once he saw me.

"Edward! Earth to Edward! Come in, Edward!" Alice shouted across the quaint table at me, effectively shattering all of my rampant mental musings about my imaginary meeting with the mysterious man with the most enchanting, lonesome eyes I had ever seen.

"Huh...? Sorry about that; what were you saying...?" I relied lamely to my chuckling sister, finding my sense with reality struggling to catch back up to me even as I watched as Alice bring up one of her elbows onto the table so she may rest her cheek against her palm whilst she regarded me.

"Man...you must have got it bad, big bro..." Alice commented smartly, earning a slight frown from me which made her smile all the more and continue, "...not that I blame you or anything. I mean, did you see that guy? He was totally hot."

"Alice..." I began speaking as if she was dead wrong in spite of how my seemingly always perceptive younger sibling had been spot-on correct.

"Oh, don't even try to deny it, Eddie...I saw how you were looking at him..." Alice reaffirmed as she sat back in her chair and reached a dainty hand forward to retrieve her glass of water, "...which brings me to my next question. Have you been...seeing anyone, or...?"

My frown deepened.

So, even my college-bound sister had picked up on the fact that I had become somewhat of a recluse as of late.

"No, Ali...no one at the moment. I've been concentrating on work, and..." I started, reverting to my usual dodge of something work-related to explain for my extended absences from love and life.

I hated trying to cover for my own short-comings, things that I did not even know how to explain and identify and yet I had to try to talk around them to make sure that others did not worry about me as well.

This routine was definitely getting old, and I felt horrible for initiating it between us once more.

Alice set her glass down upon the table with a subtle but significant 'clink,' instantly drawing my apt attention as I focused on her seldom stern features directed right into my own.

"Edward," Alice addressed me in a surprisingly no-nonsense voice, her eyes trapping my own with her fierce gaze and I could feel the love and caring flowing out of her change in demeanor and tone with me, her words cutting right through my attempt to blur through such personal examination, "...I would really like to see you settling down with someone...we all would."

"I know you care about your work, but we care about you...and we just want to see you happy..." Alice concluded, practically stunning me into an awestruck silence for a moment as I processed the meaning of her words, how she was referring to the whole Cullen family being worried for me, wanting something better for me...still thinking of me.

I sighed solemnly through my nose, lowering my gaze from hers as I collected my thoughts before speaking aloud.

"It means a lot to me that you said that, and... I..." I trailed off, sort of tipping my unruly bronze head to a side as my clarity on what I needed to convey to smooth this over with her was beginning to rapidly elude me, "...I know what you're saying is true enough, because...well...lately, I guess I have been feeling a little down."

I was putting my situation lightly, and I realized that she it knew it.

Alice nodded at my reply, seeming to take in the worth of my words, as she picked up her fork that was still lying half-way across her remaining pasta.

"I want nothing but the best for you, Eddie...I just hope you do, too," Alice commented somewhat cryptically to me before lifting up her fork to her mouth to begin eating her pasta once more.

I said nothing as I lowered my eyes to the red-and-white checker pattern in between our plates and various glasses, my mind admittedly chewing over Alice's last comment, before I, too, picked up my fork to attempt to finish what remained of my lasagna, our light conversations picking up again after only a small moment.

"_Maybe she's right..." _my low-toned thoughts whispered to me as Alice and I continued with our dinner, making casual comments and asking questions as they came to us, just as we had been doing before that enchanting man had flooded my vision and drowned out everything else I had ever known in the world, _"...maybe... I could do some things differently...live a little more."_

"...but that color was totally wrong for her, so before she could even blink, I was laying out a whole truckload of different dresses that I knew would be better for her skin tone as well as for the mood of the date that they were going to go on..." Alice continued to ramble to me about another one of her many friends at school, her words and positivism delighting me well enough in spite of how my thoughts were currently reading like a storybook inside my head, like I was detailing some sort of cognizant list of things I needed to do for myself.

Alice was right.

Everyone had been right.

I needed to start experiencing life, seeing the joys in it instead of just the problems.

I needed to start taking some risks...especially if I was to ever meet someone.

I needed to become happy.

"_...one thing is for absolute sure, though..."_my thoughts continued, gaining more momentum and confidence in spite of their inner dwelling and magnitude as I watched as Alice laughed at another one of our playful, sibling jokes, _"...if I ever see that man again...I'm definitely going to talk to him."_

X

_Authors' Note:_ This comes out of total boredom...so I hope you like it! XD More is on the way as we shall next find out a little more about Jazzy. Stay tuned and let be know how I am doing, yeah?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Edward's POV_

Six, business days later...

I had had a horrible day at work.

My hands gripped the steering wheel of my Volvo S60R in a crushing hold whilst I navigated home at such an early evening hour, my eyes narrowed at the road out ahead with the residual irritation that had riddled through me several times that day.

As a financial advisor for Meyer and Associates, one of Illinois' largest and most profitable financial and investment management firms, it was not a rare situation for me to be met with a few individuals who did not completely understand the merits and consequences of just what they were planning with their money.

This morning, I had been practically facing off against a older man who simply would not listen to the measured points of the high risk factors that I had found within the prospects for his business venture, as he had sharply turned down every one of my researched and extremely valid explanations.

I had it proven in black and white that, should he actually go through with setting up his business, he would not see profit for about thirty-six years, and yet he talked to me as if I was the moron in the room.

"Ugh...I just got to forget about him..forget about his stupid idea," I muttered groggily to myself, slowing the vehicle down as I smoothly coasted into the left turning lane and then came to a halt at the red light.

I sighed quietly, glad that my work day was over, but not without feeling an overwhelming sense of fatigue, general disassociation and boredom, even, as I watched as the west-bound traffic drove out ahead while everyone else waiting, and it was then that I let my thoughts wander back to a certain individual.

For almost the entire week, whenever I was lulled into a quiet moment, my mind would vividly recall that enticing man I had seen outside the restaurant with Alice, getting off of his motorcycle with my eyes still glued to his sunny, golden curls that were styled in an appealing, messy style.

I could still remember his tall, slender form, his strong chest and shoulders that made that leather jacket cling tightly to his arms and back, as he stretched for only me to witness, bending his perfect body over and taunting me with every, sexual fantasy known to man to suddenly infiltrate my somber mind as I had watched him move.

He had been effortlessly graceful, charmingly sexy, and mildly maddening to me, as I could also still accurately picture that saddened expression that had turned his chiseled features towards the pavement.

I was probably nearing a considerable number of hours now that I had pondered over that look, that depressing, sorrowful look kept slightly gilded since he had been downtown in public, and if I had to assign a word to what I was feeling about it...I would admit to obsession.

Wise to the fact that the traffic going west was about to cease and allow for our end to proceed, I straightened up in my seat, trying to put a temporary halt to my mind's seemingly endless contemplations so I may be ready to accelerate as promptly as possible...before...

"...no...fucking...way..." I voiced my blatant disbelief aloud in my car, my mouth left hanging open as I watched a male with stunning but semi-visible features, golden tresses of hair peeking out from underneath his helmet, and nice, strong shoulders where orange and white only lined down one side, suddenly zoom by along the remaining, crossing traffic.

It was him!

That tortuously attractive man from before, the one who has been owning my every waking thought for days now, was right there...driving away.

"_You said that you would talk to him the next time you saw him..."_ my mind did not hesitate to bring forth to my attention, as I caught myself doing nothing but staring at him once more.

"_...risks...take risks...you promised yourself you would take some risks and see where they lead you, Edward! Go after him!"_ my thoughts began practically hollering at me, growing in urgency with the more distance there became between my sitting, idle form and his passing one.

Then, right when I was about to admittedly give up on my incessant, internal ranting and all the adrenaline it had given me to do exactly that, I remembered something that that stubborn, old man had said to me earlier this morning in my office whence he and I were discussing his failure-bound business venture.

"_It's not about the money, son...it was never about something like that,"_ he had tried to reason with me and my many forms and charts that forecast his poor financial numbers, _"...this is just something I've always wanted to do...and Lord knows, I ain't getting any younger!"_

I stamped my foot on the gas, heading towards the west-bound lane when I legally should have made my left, as I hastily cut off the person who had been next to me at the light so I could make it into the appropriate lane in time, following the familiar black motorcycle and the mysterious person I could still see riding it.

Both hands holding onto the steering wheel, my whole body was practically sitting on the edge of my seat as I sped passed car after car, clearly driving well over the speed limit, but that thought hardly entered my mind as I only focused on catching up to that roaring motorcycle, delighting in the fact that I could make out more of his short, blonde curls that were pushed this way and that by the rushing wind.

"Just keep your cool, Cullen...I feel like a stalker..." I laughed at myself, my blood still pumping vivaciously inside my veins at the idea of how I was, for all intents and purposes, truly stalking this man, as I recognized that we were heading back towards the downtown district where I had first seen him.

"...I better slow down..." I reasoned aloud, eyes darting from left to right as I knew of how downtown traffic was not as speedy as that on the highway, coupled with how the lanes were much closer together, as I allowed a few cars to pull out in front of me so I could have some drag-time to see where he would make turns and the like.

"Hmm...looks like he made a right..." I voiced aloud again for its own sake, as I astutely made the same right-hand turn and then slowed down considerably to seek him out once more, nervous tingles coursing even stronger through me with each passing second of ultimately getting closer to this man.

My eyes widened as I watched him park his bike in one of the spots along the side of the multiple-laned road located near the very heart of downtown, placing all kinds of restaurants and stores, bars and clubs to line each way a person could turn.

"Shit! Okay...okay, I can do this...it's...there is nothing to worry about," I suddenly panicked a little as I hurriedly slipped into a parking spot on the opposite side of the road, having to turn away from him as I needed to collect myself before attempting to speak to him, my nerves having just worsened by means of transforming into jagged-edged shards to move throughout my body now that it was upon me to finally meet him.

"Just go introduce yourself...see what he's like..." I encouraged myself as I cast my green eyes up to the rear-view mirror so I may quickly scan over my naturally disheveled copper locks, knowing that they could not look any tamer even if I had tried, before forcing my sweating hand to my door handle so I may let myself out.

Taking a deep breath and trying to force away the small voice in my head that was reminding me how I was about to talk to the same gorgeous man I had only caught a tiny glimpse of before, I locked my Volvo with a push of a button on my key chain before hurrying across the mildly busy street.

I knew I looked like a typical downtown businessman who was late for an appointment or something of the sort, as I still wore my charcoal-grey suit and maroon tie that fluttered helplessly against my white shirt and opened jacket as I hustled towards the sidewalk and then immediately began walking quickly towards the mysterious man's back.

He had only been walking away from his parked motorcycle for a few minutes, his pace extremely mindful of the people walking around him, making him move a little slower than most, and I instantly became grateful for this fact as I practically jogged to the sight of his fitted leather jacket and soft, curly mane.

"Excuse me! Uh...sir!" I called after him now that I was getting close, close enough to make my blood race at a staggering rate all over again, as I took in his measured, somewhat limped gait and square shoulders that were careful not to bump into anyone.

No response.

He must not have realized that I was talking to him.

"Sir! You there...sorry..." I spoke once more, this time while reaching an unthinking hand forward and placing it on top of one of his shoulders to stop him.

My sight was temporarily blinded by a brilliant pattern of sunlight gold that contrasted nicely with the surrounding pink and hazy grey of the early evening sky, as the man suddenly whipped around in his spot, his cobalt blue eyes, as beautiful and stunning as any cloud-laden storm, were wide in confusion at me, as he now faced me directly.

I said nothing for what seemed like an eternity, all of my practicing in the car having totally escaped me, as I blinked slowly at high, regal cheekbones, smooth, tempting skin, and fierce, sex-inspiring lips the color of spring roses, all of his features absolutely stunning and highlighted magnificently by the gentle, wheat curls that framed his face.

"Yes...?" he spoke, his tone speaking of his puzzlement as well as a hint of concern as he took a noticeable step away from my silent, studying form as he awaited my reply.

"Um...I uh..." I tried but quickly decided to lower my gaze from such ethereal beauty for a moment so I could clear my throat and hopefully save a little face with him, my thoughts running in full force in spite of how I realized I was physically unable to voice a single one of them aloud.

"...right..." he mumbled with a quiet sigh of blatant disappointment and perhaps annoyance, before starting to turn away, intent on continuing his walk and, probably, to leave me standing there...forever with my words caught in my throat.

"No, wait!" I thankfully found my voice, my hand reaching forward again and seizing a sleeve of his black leather jacket, automatically clutching the soft garment as if my life depended upon it.

Maybe it had.

This time, he whirled around with narrowed, penetrating eyes, forcefully yanking his arm out of my grasp as he spoke to me with much more strength in his words.

"What the hell is your problem?" his razor-sharp tone, rich with a few, legato syllables and strangely enunciated vowels hinting at a southern upbringing, nearly startled me out of my reverie as I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat and steeled my nerves so I may proceed somewhat intelligibly.

"I apologize if I was being rude to you just now, but..." I began in a surprisingly collected manner, my tone not unlike how I would speak to a new client in how I wished to represent myself as best as I possibly could, "...my name is Edward."

Impossibly deep blue eyes were immediately baffled by my simple, straight-forward introduction, my clear-cut wish to know him and for him to know me, his luscious lips parting as he took in my words, as his flawless features remained hardened, guarded towards me, however.

"...what is it you want?" the tall, motorcycle-riding male posed another question instead of offering his own name, his words having become milder to me, and my curiosity was growing exponentially about why he was so obviously cautious with me right now, still maintaining a sizable distance between us as he looked ready to run if need be.

"_So...I need to earn his trust..."_ I mentally surmised about the situation, taking in his worried, pretty eyes, and lovely lips,_ "...it'll be worth it...whatever will be worth getting to know him...and why he is this way..."_

"Only your name...if you'll give it to me...?" I offered politely, a small smirk curving my lips at him as I watched his eyes lower to the pavement for a breath of a second before raising up to meet my own once more with much more softness beneath such swimming depths.

"...Jasper," he provided in that sexy, southern drawl of his, the affect of which only making my grin become broader across my features as I chanced taking another step towards such a beautiful yet reserved man, my right hand lifting to shake his own in a much more friendly greeting.

"_Hmm...another old-fashioned name, just like mine...seems to suit him,"_ I mentally recognized the similarity between us right away, as my patient eyes watched as Jasper hesitated in what seemed to be him thinking over the idea of shaking my hand before he ultimately decided in my favor and moved forward as well.

I smiled as he slowly closed even more distance between us so he may take hold of my offered hand and give it a good shake, my heart nearly thudding out of my chest with excitement the moment I felt his warm skin touch my own, his hand a bit rougher than what I had imagined but still granting me a subtle kind of satisfaction that I had earned at least that much of a friendship with him.

Straight away, my mind was in overload with the facts and assumptions I could already safely make regarding this man, like how he needed to be treated almost like an injured animal, requiring to be shown no ill-will or contempt before finally deciding whom he could accept to be a little closer to him, and the idea was consuming to me to gradually edge into his good graces and no longer be seen as some threat.

A lone question immediately sprang to the forefront of my mind of such an understanding of him, however, as the words were unrelenting and repetitive in my mind.

"_What could have happened to make him like this, I wonder..."_ I thought over and over again, a small but increasing part of me beginning to genuinely worry for this man whose calloused, strong hand was currently being cradled gently by my own as I secretly savored having Jasper within my physical grasp, allowing me, a stranger, to be so close.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jasper," I spoke with a warm, inviting smile, watching intently how he quickly lowered his eyes from mine as if he did not know how he should respond to such a good-natured compliment, a few, stray curls of honey-blonde hair moving across his brow as he did so.

I wanted to badly to run my fingers across his forehead and brush those short, blonde locks out of his eyes, but I dared not to do anything of the sort, as I knew full-well that I needed to take my time with him and let him accept me at his own pace.

He remained silent, still standing close to me as the two of us naturally ended our handshake, my eyes kept soft even though I was unable to help observing every, minute flicker of emotion that crossed over his heavenly features, as I quickly thought of something I could talk about with him.

"Was that your motorcycle I saw parked back there?" I asked him as if I did not know, gesturing with a jab of my thumb back towards the direction from which we both had come.

Upon hearing this, Jasper's eyes snapped up to my own in appealing surprise, gracing me once again with their stormy blue hue, as he briefly licked at his eye-catching lips before speaking.

"Oh...yes, it is..." Jasper spoke kindly but not without a touch of wariness still present in his tone with me, as if he was still not sure about speaking and being around me like this, "...are you into motorcycles, Edward?"

"_I love how he says my name...already...in that smoky, southern accent of his...very nice,"_ I internally swooned for a second before voicing my answer.

"I know enough, but I'm really interested in yours," I lied sweetly to the god-like male in front of me, having truthfully wanted to word my reply regarding my general interest in him and not his motorcycle, as it were.

Jasper seemed to perk up considerably upon hearing this from me, however, and I could not regret that I had somewhat fibbed to him, as I saw him shift his weight a little where he stood, making his stature become more confident, more relaxed.

"Well, then let me show her to you..." Jasper offered to me in delightfully plain words, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he and I both began to turn back towards his motorcycle a few yards behind us.

"I'd like that..." I agreed easily, quite willing to follow this man practically anywhere in this moment, a moment where I truly felt as if I was being allowed to experience something rare with Jasper by him acting this way towards me considering how only a few, short moments ago, he had seemed rather capable of punching me in the face.

Jasper and I approached his black and silver motorcycle and my keen eyes training hard on him did not miss how fondly he gazed down at the machine before he started speaking again, neither one of us minding the people swiftly walking around our stationary forms.

"She's a Ducati Superbike 848 with a Testastretta Evoluzione engine capable of putting out one hundred and thirty four horsepower...one of the best for a middleweight bike that I've ever seen..." he spoke eloquently, passionately about his motorcycle to me, both of us looking over the apparently exceptional piece of machinery that he obviously knew a great deal about, and I had to admit that I was impressed.

I quietly nodded my head at his words, simply loving how he was even speaking to me in the first place as I honestly had absolutely no clue what he had been talking about regarding the specifics of his motorcycle; I was just enjoying being there with him, listening to him talk about what he liked.

"It's a very impressive bike, Jasper," I confirmed in kind, tilting my bronze head towards him just in time to see Jasper smile appreciatively in response, allowing me to see his adorable, dimpled grin as he ducked his blonde head down.

"Her name is Bella," he commented casually, letting his grin comfortably fade from his angelic face as I caught him giving me a quick side-glance with those royal blue orbs whilst he spoke.

"...excuse me...?" I had to ask as I chuckled lightly at the information that he had given his motorcycle a name.

"As in 'Isabella'...it's an Italian bike, so I thought I'd give her an Italian name, " Jasper's logic was vastly endearing to me as I smiled broadly at him, unable to hide or cover the softness my jade eyes held for this man as I got to know a little more about what made him unique, special.

"I was wondering...would you care to join me for a drink, Jasper...?" I put out the offer to spend more time together as smoothly as possible, me being extremely cognizant of the fact that this might seem like a bit of leap to him, but I knew I just had to try.

I truly did not want to end things so soon with him this night.

Jasper looked up from his bike to me, expression showing a slight concern that I might be asking too much, as he first looked at a few of the stores and shops around us, before saying, "I uh...I suppose that'd be okay."

Relief flooded through me at his positive answer, and it was only now that I realized that my jittery nerves from earlier had been wholly dissipated, no longer sizzling throughout my entire body as the fact had at one point unconsciously dawned on me that I was completely comfortable around Jasper; taking heed of his mannerisms and facials expressions, yes, but all while feeling an overall, versatile relaxation.

My having to mind what I said to him made me careful, and that had set out some cognizant boundaries of what I felt was and was not appropriate to do or say around him, thereby making me already feel like I had had a foothold with how I should proceed with Jasper...and that was a very welcome revelation.

X

Only a few, short moments later, Jasper and I were sitting at the bar of one of the more lower-key pubs in the downtown district, both of us sitting on the high bar stools with our second round of beers melting in our hands whilst we chatted and half-way watched whatever sports game was on the televisions overhead.

Sitting with his leather jacket hanging over the back of his bar stool, Jasper looked like he was made to be here at this bar with me, with his long, jean-clad legs resting on the metal railing below, and his tight-fitted navy-blue tee-shirt that gloriously hugged at his hard-planed chest and shoulders, his sculpt arms kept folded on top of the bar whilst we drank together.

He had already disclosed to me that he was originally from Texas, and right now, I knew I was staring at him in awe as he looked like an actual, modern-day cowboy, ready to either win a poker game or a guns blazing shoot-out at the drop of a hat...and all of it with those devastatingly handsome features of his.

"So, Jasper...what do you do for a living?" I asked conversationally before lifting my brew up to my lips to take another hearty swig of the foamy but pleasantly bitter liquid, the rock music playing inside the traditional pub not at all overpowering as he and I had been easily able to talk with only the tiniest raise to our voices.

Jasper, cascaded majestically in the dim bar light that was equally reciprocated off of the polished wooden tables and flooring, slightly lowered his curly, blonde head down, frowning a bit as he did so, which practically screamed his embarrassment or reluctance to answer to me before he did speak his reply.

"...I'm a factory worker," he answered quietly in a tone not committed to speaking on such a topic, his eyes avoiding my own as I studied his troubled but forever gorgeous profile, the way that his beautiful lips were pulled slightly down before the opening of his beer bottle gently touched his bottom lip and was tipped backward to let the chilled beverage run down his delicious-looking throat.

"_He works in a factory, huh..."_ I mused to myself as I drank a little more of my beer and allowed him the silence he wished for before speaking again, _"...that would explains_ _his hands...all the cuts and_ _scrapes I see there...God, I bet he looks fucking hot working in that factory, though..."_

"Don't be embarrassed...a job's a job," I voiced truthfully, wanting entirely to console him of any foreboding feelings towards me, wanting for him to know that he could tell me anything, "...besides, we all have to be good at something."

My lighthearted comment fell flat on its face as I watched as Jasper chuckled sadly at the last of my words, him probably not believing a thing I had just said to try to make him feel better.

"Yeah..."he voiced in a barely audible tone before setting down his beer bottle and looking directly at me, his murky, unreadable cobalt gaze peering heavily into my own and I almost choked on my own beer from such a sudden burst of mesmerizing color before hastily swallowing what had been in my mouth, "...so what about you? Are you a lawyer or something...?"

This time, I did choke on my beer, but thankfully recovered after only a few coughs and a clearing of my throat.

"No, no...I'm not a lawyer, but I can see why you'd think that, " I answered with a playful smirk, knowing that my suit and tie had been in stark but interesting contrast to his jeans and tee-shirt this whole time,"...actually, I'm a financial advisor for Meyer and Associates."

Jasper nodded his curly, wheat-colored head in polite understanding of my reply, his eyebrows having lifted a bit even though he kept his eyes downcast to the surface of the bar, still as if he was pondering about something else, something important, during this whole time that he and I talked.

"_Is something bothering him...? He seems so..."_ my mental ramblings began to churn inside my head, before immediately hushing up the moment I could tell Jasper was about to speak to me once more, the way he parted his full, pink lips was beginning to be one of my favorite things to notice.

"Well, I wish you luck with that, Edward, but I need to get going..." Jasper announced in his smooth, smokey tone in spite of his words being totally hollow, before standing up from his bar stool, collecting his leather jacket, and then reaching a hand to a back pocket of his jeans to, no doubt, retrieve his wallet.

"_Crap...he's leaving...so soon...!"_ I internally panicked, still not wishing to let this gorgeous, mysteriously quiet man leave my sight just yet, as I still had much more I wanted to ask him, to see him smile more, to become even closer so that there would be no way that he'd...

"Hold on, Jasper..." I purposefully interrupted my own wandering thoughts before they got too involved, as I held up a hand to the tall, southern male and smiled whilst I continued, admittedly trying to buy more time with him, "...I invited you out, so this one is on me. Besides, if you give me your number real fast, we could set it up to do this again sometime, and..."

"Thanks...Edward...but..." Jasper cut me off sharply but with seemingly forced words as he began sliding his arms through the sleeves of his leather jacket, and then gave his head a little shake to move the honey-colored curls out of his face before looking me directly in my eyes, his point about to be made, "...look, you're a really nice guy, but I just...I'm not really trying to make any friends right now."

I stood up, instantly mortified that this might be the last time I saw Jasper, my words leaving me before I had too much opportunity to rethink and evaluate the consequences.

"What if I'm wanting to be more than friends with you, Jasper...huh?" I blindly admitted to him, putting out every ounce of my true intentions with him, as well as pointedly ignoring any kind of hidden meaning within Jasper's own words to me, as the desperation was evident but kept mild in my voice while he and I had this back and forth.

I watched how Jasper lowered his eyes from mine, a force of habit I had noticed with him whenever he felt a little too cornered, as he licked the front of his teeth and then shifted his eyes to a side before speaking with clear, self-loathing in his words, "...you'd be better off with anyone else in here, Edward...trust me."

And with that, leaving me quite stunned in my place that Jasper obviously thought so terribly of himself to say such a thing, Jasper turned his back to me and began striding out of the pub, his scarred hands slipping into the pockets of his jacket as he navigated towards the grand, double doors at the entrance.

"_Risks...remember risks...? Well, you've just found a big one...do not let him get away; he's getting away!"_ my racing mind shocked me out of my stunned state, my hands positively shaking as I threw down a few bills onto the bar and then ran out of the establishment, fueled by my befuddlement, my inability to let the first, goddamn thing that I had truly desired in years to simply walk out of my life.

I caught him just as he had exited the pub and was beginning to make a right down the sidewalk and become just another silhouette of a person whom I still did not truly know in this town.

"...Jasper! Wait just a fucking second!" I shouted into the crisp, downtown atmosphere upon letting the pub doors close behind me, not paying one iota of attention to the many people I had startled as they hurried by me while I rushed up to Jasper and clapped both of my hands onto his shoulders and spun the Texan around to face me.

All of my misplaced anger increased tenfold as I saw Jasper's narrowed eyes and pursed lips, like he himself was agitated that I had not simply taken his word at face value and allowed him to leave as he had wished, as he pulled his hands out of his pockets but otherwise remained silent.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you? You won't even give me a chance to exp..."was all I had been able to blurt out, just before I felt something as solid and heavy as frozen stone suddenly slam into the side of my jaw, making my vision blur for a strange, circling moment as I plummeted to the dirty, cold pavement below.

My unfocused eyes blinked slowly, hazily up at Jasper who had his legs spread wide with one arm crossing over his torso as he had just finished punching me squarely across my face, one of my hands automatically coming up to gingerly cradle my swelling cheek as my frazzled, unthinking mind was still trying to process everything that had happened.

I blinked again, starting to feel the world come back to me along with the tiny river of blood that was starting to run down the split in my lip and onto my hand that I considered was probably holding my jaw in place right now, and, through the fog of my clearing senses, I heard Jasper audibly murmur something before crouching down to me.

"Shit..." Jasper spoke to my semi-ringing ears, placing his hands on my biceps and carefully hoisting me up to my feet as he also stood, his resilient hold on me keeping me steady, "...I'm sorry, Edward."

I wanted to voice that it was okay, but my whole head felt like it was going to fall right off my shoulders should I say anything, so I only groaned in pain the second I opened my bloodied mouth to speak.

"...you can't drive...God, I shouldn't have done that..."Jasper grumbled more to himself than me at the moment, not that I was able to mind such a revelation as disoriented as I was, and I was only able to somewhat feel Jasper sliding an arm around my waist before helping me to walk forward.

"J-Jas...per..." I voiced meekly before squinting my eyes in utter agony, the sharp ache in my cheek seeming to spread up into the center of my brain, trying to rip it apart, as I was only vaguely aware of Jasper briefly lifting me up and sitting me down on something sturdy yet slanted.

"I uh...I guess I'm going to take you to my place for awhile...at least until you can drive home," I heard Jasper speak to me, prompting me to crack open a stinging eye in time to see the gorgeous blonde-haired male, his whole aura positively glowing to my cloudy vision, as he put his helmet on and carefully sat down on his motorcycle in front of me.

"Hold on to me, Edward," Jasper instructed back to me, his words now almost acting as some kind of trigger for my punch-drunk haze to begin lifting from me, as I began to feel the nighttime chill on my nose, hear the downtown noise all around me, and realize that I was about to go to this man's home with him.

Obeying his command, I tightly wound my arms around Jasper's torso, unabashedly hugging him to me as I took in the long lines of trim muscle that constructed him, musing that he owed me at least that much from hitting me as I pressed my uninjured cheek against his shoulder blade and felt him start Bella.

Truth be told, I had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and I realized in a far corner of my mind that I probably should have been more scared than I was.

Perhaps it had something to do with my iron-clad grip around Jasper's stomach, or how I was now finally able to identify his own, personal scent, something I had not been able to distinguish whilst being downtown with him, as I breathed in the rich combination of spiced mahogany and leather that seemed to waft from him as we sped through the streets towards of the outskirts of the district.

His scent was absolutely delectable and I buried my nose against his strong shoulder whilst he took me away from my car, away from everything I had known and knew to be comfortable, as I willingly stepped into his territory...anything to make him feel more secure around me.

Sooner than I had expected, as I had quickly found myself wholly enjoying the euphoria of Jasper's back pressed firmly against my chest, he and I both came to a stop outside a collection of apartment complexes that I did not recognize.

Wordlessly, from feeling possible guilt about such a situation, Jasper parked his motorcycle in one of the spots along the white, beige, and green-coordinated apartments, before fluidly hopping off of his bike and removing his helmet.

"...come on," he said sorrowfully, as he carried his helmet underneath one arm while extending his other hand towards me, granting me a breathtaking vision of his porcelain, carved-out-of heaven features and wild, golden mane set against the black velvet of night that currently surrounded us.

My senses having fully come back to me, coupled with my headache starting to at least somewhat subside, I gratefully took his offered hand and climbed off of the Ducati, only then noticing Jasper's lowered, shameful eyes as he helped me and then proceeded to usher me towards the sidewalk.

Jasper sighed audibly, his troubled state of mind not being hidden from me whatsoever, as he and I slowly ascended the stairs that lead up into the apartments, our pace mindful of my condition even though I was, honestly, feeling a great deal better that what I lead on.

Some large, entirely intrigued part of me...wanted to see how far his hospitality towards me would go this night...I needed to find out.

On the third floor, Jasper and I approached one of the beige doors, my eyes unable to see the number on the wooden fixture due to how dark it was outside, and it was after I heard Jasper unlock and open the door to his apartment did he finally speak to me.

"I really am sorry about what happened, Edward...let me um...get you some ice..."he spoke in a tone too depressing for a mortal conscience to bear as he and I stepped into his humble abode, where I gradually halted my steps while Jasper flicked on the lights from somewhere on my left.

Cherry oak-colored walls of his immediate living room were what caught my eye first, his furniture being a tasteful chocolate brown, which made the whole room quite somber and aesthetically relaxing in nature, like one could not possibly be upset upon going inside such a pleasantly designed space.

I politely navigated to the plump-looking couch to sit down, my head turned towards the white, semi-enclosed kitchen where I could see Jasper from over the bar as he opened his refrigerator to retrieve something and then turned on his faucet.

"...my head is killing me...feels like I got hit by a truck," I muttered with a small chuckle, speaking the truth in the midst of my jest as I rested my forearms on top of my knees and lowered my eyes from all the light.

Then, making me lift my gaze once more, Jasper padded across the room to me, a glass of water in one hand that he promptly offered me as he said, "...here, take these."

After taking the glass from him, he reached his other hand forward and dropped two, small pills into my palm, neither one of us making eye contact but for entirely different reasons; me because of my headache and him because of his evident depression.

I immediately took the provided pills, finishing the glass of water even though I could taste my own blood behind every gulp of the liquid, as I set the glass down on top of the dark wooden coffee table out in front of me, the need to voice something to him, anything, was beginning to make me anxious.

However, just as I was about to call out to the stunning, blue-eyed man, he quickly returned to my side, no longer wearing his jacket and with a damp washcloth in his hand, and my crazed need to speak first vanished as I watched as he practically gave me a personal show of him seductively sliding in between my parted knees and then sinking down to the floor to balance his weight on his own.

My breath caught in my throat, my eyes widening a bit, as Jasper leaned in close to me, enveloping me in his addictive scent and effortless beauty, as he took a careful, gentle hold of my uninjured cheek and slowly turned my head so that he could have better view of my bruised jaw.

I hissed through my teeth, however, the moment I felt the wet washcloth touch the split in my lip, but hurriedly forced away the pain so I could open my eyes again and behold such an amazing sight of Jasper being so close and careful with me with so much emotion showing through his immaculate face.

His cobalt eyes were apologetic as they were fixated on my lips, as he gently dabbed a corner of the cloth against them, cleaning away the dried blood from the small but painful cut there, before using another section of the rag to lightly scrub at my chin.

His actions were so unbelievably mindful that I felt myself charmed in an instant, my quieted mind beginning to put the pieces together about why Jasper had acted out the way he did today...why he had felt as if he needed to defend himself...

It was my heart that ached the most now as I watched with kind eyes as he took his time tending to me.

"Jasper...you don't have to feel so bad...it's okay...really," I offered in low-spoken, serious words, willing away the urge to bring my hands up to his, as I watched as he lifted his captivating gaze to meet my own.

"...how's your head?" Jasper purposefully redirected the conversation as he quickly lowered his hopeful eyes from peering into my own, patient green ones, willing to be patient forever for him to finally come to me, as I allowed him to stand up to his full height and maneuver from being in between my bent legs.

"_...so hesitant to...even share a tender moment...like he's scared..."_ I mentally surmised with a substantial degree of empathy for this man, my self having known exactly how painful it could be to no longer know how to reach out to anyone.

"...the pills are starting to make me feel a little better, but I still feel kind of groggy..." I reported to him, admittedly playing up my condition a little more than necessary as the realization swiftly occurred to me that if I were to tell him that I was perfectly alright again, he would probably ask me to leave.

Jasper licked his shapely lips in thought before turning his head to a side to look down his hallway towards the rooms that were, no doubt, in the back, before settling his gaze on my sitting, waiting form.

"Then...I suppose you can stay here tonight..." he voiced with a noticeable amount of uncertainty in his tone and mannerisms before continuing, "...I'll just...get you some things, and then I'm going to bed."

"_So...I am to stay on the couch...at least it's a start,"_ I mentally smiled at my own joke before schooling my features at him prior to speaking, knowing that this had, more than likely, been an uncomfortable decision on his part.

"Alright," I said simply, not wishing to push my luck with him at the moment and risk another punch in the face by saying too much or making him feel even more bothered than he already was.

"_Although, if he hadn't hit you...you wouldn't be here right now...maybe we should take hits from him more often,"_ I could not help but tell myself, my inane thoughts making me chuckle to myself as Jasper had already begun walking down the corridor to his room, leaving me to stand up and stretch before shrugging off my suit jacket and loosening my tie.

I had already successfully discarded my tie onto the coffee table and was beginning to unbutton my white, dress shirt when Jasper came back inside the living room, his arms full of a variety of items.

Smoky blue eyes hurriedly turned downward to his empty loveseat adjacent of the couch by which I was currently standing, as I watched him place the neatly folded blankets and pillows on top of the cushions there for me to get when I pleased.

"Here are some pillows and a comforter for you...oh, and some clothes to change into, so...I guess I'll see you later..." he voiced incredibly awkwardly, obviously not used to playing host to many others, another similarity which I found between us, as I hastily intervened.

"Jasper, I...I just wanted to say thank you...for taking care of me and letting me stay here...I promise I won't be any trouble," I said to him, meaning every word as I took a few, unconscious steps towards him whilst I spoke, my sharp eyes glued to how he slowly turned his curly, blonde head back towards me, gaining my gaze once more and filling me with confidence as he seemed to be hanging off of my every, understanding word to him.

"...no problem, Edward...it's the least I could do. Have a good night..." he dodged my unwavering gaze with gentle words, as he brought up a nervous hand to ruffle through his short, styled honey locks, letting them sift through his fingers and palm and I had to admit that I was a tad jealous that I could perform no such deed to him.

"...night," I replied to his already retreating form, my breath leaving me in a rush from my lungs once I heard him close his bedroom door behind him, allowing me to be here in his apartment all by myself.

I realized I could very well leave right this moment, but as quickly as that thought came it was gone, as I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to stay; I wanted to see him again the next morning.

I wanted to try to talk to him, seriously talk to him, about his actions and the possibility that there was more going on with him than just what appeared on the surface.

I had to know.

Finishing unbuttoning my shirt, I laid the item along the back of the loveseat before picking up the pile of the soft, folded comforter and pillows, topped with a spare, white tee-shirt and grey-and-navy patterned pajama pants.

"_...just like his eyes,"_ I thought to myself regarding the appealing mesh of the two colors, again making a lighthearted smirk curve my lips as I briefly ran my fingertips over the material before pulling them away from the pile, ready to change into them and then spread out the huge, queen-sized comforter on top of Jasper's couch, hoping to find some sleep as well.

"_Don't lie to yourself, Edward..."_ I thought smartly to myself, quite enjoying the serene silence of the darkened apartment, so much different than my and house located a little closer to the crowded city, as I slipped out of my charcoal-grey slacks and then pulled on the loaned pair of Jasper's pajama pants, followed closely by his white tee-shirt which was just a little broader in the chest for my own build.

"_...you won't be sleeping tonight, and you know it,"_ my thoughts continued, not that I minded my inner musings at such a razor-sharp moment as I deftly unfolded the wonderfully pliant, pleasantly-scented comforter and draped it over the couch, _"...you're going to be thinking about curls the color of bright sunshine...of piercing blue eyes that hold so much emotion it could break a man..."_

"_...you, Edward Cullen;"_ my internal musings were steadily going out of control in spite of how exhausted I truly was from the work week and now this unexpected evening, as I settled down on top of the couch and pulled the thick comforter over my stretching, relaxing form, _"...are going to be thinking about that gorgeous, sexy man in the other room, holding him in your arms and feeling every inch of his perfect body pressed against your own, needing only you...what a lovely thought – Jasper needing_ _only me..."_

And I had been right; that had been what I stayed up thinking about instead of sleeping the night through.

No matter.

Maybe I had been sleeping long enough.

X

_Author's Note:_ Oh no...lol. I must admit, I am a little tired of these fics where Jasper is this heaven-sent angel of a dude without a mean bone in his body. Screw all that; Jazz has got some fire to unleash! Leave me a message after the beep, fans! XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Edward's POV_

The next morning...

I awoke from my light sleep in absolute comfort and peace of mind, my dreams last night having consisted of the most vibrant, positive feelings I had not had for a long time, as I slowly opened my eyes and beheld the vision of Jasper's unkempt, wheat curls moving about inside his kitchen.

The rich, invigorating smell of coffee filled my nostrils as I gingerly rose up from my lying position on the firm, chocolate couch, moving the cloud-like comforter off of my legs in the process, as I focused more and more on my living, breathing obsession who had apparently woken up before I had.

I stood up from Jasper's couch, taking my time stretching out my sleep-cramped muscles as I breathed in deeply the many scents currently enveloping me in their livelihood and rousing me further from any residual drowsiness as I could practically taste the early morning hour and tap into that special feeling inside myself that absolutely loved moments like this.

The aroma of the freshly brewing coffee was only a subtle addition amidst the overall scents of sandalwood and cinnamon, made brighter by the brilliant beams of golden sunshine that illuminated the whole living area through the closed windows, that seemed to be within every fabric, every inch of air inside Jasper's apartment, and I was easily lulled into a more pleasant, nearly wooed, state of mind as a result of such homeliness.

Upon finishing stretching out my tee-shirt-clad arms and giving my neck a few, good rolls to either side, I cast my now bettered gaze back upon Jasper, who was still rummaging around in his bright, white and cedar-colored kitchen, and my brain instantly froze at such an unexpected sight.

Wearing only a pair of jeans and leaving his chest and torso bare, my mouth fell open and my emerald eyes widened at the vision of Jasper's broad, viciously scarred back.

I blinked myself out of my troubled daze, my eyes still unable to let go of my immediate worry, however, as I took in the long, seemingly random lines of repaired flesh that gnashed their way across Jasper's toned back and shoulders; his build, even as he was standing there tending to something in his kitchen, reminding me of the well-crafted forms of mixed martial artists who trained diligently every day for a body such as his.

"_...he definitely hits like a professional..."_ I caught myself trying to put one and one together as I vividly recalled the hellish fury, otherwise known as Jasper's right hook, which I had been met with the previous night.

His scars brought me sympathetic pain to be felt, riddled with concern and questions as to what on earth had done such harm to him, but my next thoughts halted my every, burning word on my tongue before I spoke too hastily.

"_This...all of this might have something to do with the way he acts towards people...something must have happened...I know I'm getting closer..."_ I confirmed to myself, the validity of my reasoning giving me the strength to begin stepping across the living room and towards the opposite end of the bar from where Jasper was.

"I...didn't know if you were a 'big breakfast' type of person, so I just made coffee," Jasper spoke to me without facing me yet as I slipped my body onto one of the cushioned bar stools, my actions cautious and slow as I could not help but let my pained eyes wander over Jasper's perfectly sculpt but previously wounded flesh, taking in his solid curves of muscle that rivaled any sculpture I had ever seen as well the tiny lines of raised flesh that indicated his past hurt.

"...coffee's fine," I replied after perhaps too much silence, only now realizing that no traditional 'good morning' greeting had been initiated by either one of us as I, for some reason, decided to be a bit bolder with him in this otherwise peaceful moment and slid off of my bar stool.

"_I need to go to him...I need to be beside him..."_ I caught myself admitting with nearly silent mental words as I rounded the end of the wood-grain bar with soundless footsteps that transitioned from pliant carpet to cool, hardwood flooring.

With each step minding our closing proximity, I entered into the kitchen by Jasper's side, my eyes glued to his delectably trim waist that tapered down to narrow hipbones and a round, firm ass that my hands already itched to squeeze and grip and see his every reaction whilst I did so.

"_God...he's so perfect...I'll take him right now, scars and all...he is just so...so..."_ my mind trailed off in the midst of my moment of speechless awe before I had to visibly give my a head a few shakes just so I could reign reality back to me and remember what I was doing...before the perfect word of describing Jasper finally came to me.

"_...enticing;"_ I concluded to myself, _"...everything about him only makes me to want to know more."_

Upon seeing that I had approached him, Jasper cocked his curly, messy blonde head towards my direction before redirecting his neutral gaze back on his task, my eyes following his own to see exactly what he had been doing all this time.

His hands, roughed by hard labor and a myriad of other things I had yet to know about, twisted at the cap of one of the few orange, plastic prescription bottles that were sitting on the granite counter in front of him, next to the sink where a glass had already been filled with water.

My train of thought, my initial wish to become direct with him, stood stock-still within me for a pregnant moment, as I merely watched as Jasper made sure that he had counted correctly the number of tablets inside his palm, before lifting his opened hand to his mouth and then reaching his other hand towards his water so he may swallow them all.

"_...takes...medication...?"_ my thoughts were only capable of half-forming inside my brain as I recognized that I needed to take a quick breath as I had seemed to have forgotten how to for a few seconds whilst I stood there in this clean kitchen inside Jasper's apartment on a side of town that I was not completely familiar with, _"...this poor guy...I don't even...know what to say to him right now..."_

I felt a gloomy weight settle inside my chest at the sight of such a man performing such a task, like I was witnessing his very struggle with himself and his complicated life, an accidental display of his true vulnerability that made my heart ache that he had to do such things...like seeing an angel covered in blood for reasons unknown.

My feelings heavy and burdening yet offering me a sort of inexplicable clarity that I might not have found otherwise, I pushed passed any thought or concern that this might be a mistake or that I did not know what I was doing, as I stepped right up to Jasper just as he had set his emptied water glass back down on the counter top and picked up one of the two green, brown, and blue-striped coffee mugs at his side.

"Your coffee is right there..." Jasper mentioned the other coffee meant for me once more, his face gradually showing of his mild confusion as I made no movement to pick up my mug as he turned around in his spot, leaning his weight casually back against the rounded edge of the counter as he drank more of his own morning brew and simply watched me.

Now standing intimately close to him, I felt my heart beat quickening, making my blood heat up a few more degrees and then speed through my veins at an astounding rate, as my mind remained miraculously clear and focused while I waited for Jasper to lower his mug from his lips, his steel-blue eyes staring patiently into mine from over the top of it, watching my every breath and thought occur to me, it felt like.

The way his eyes never wavered in their serenity as they held my own was almost as if he already knew everything there was to know about me...while here I was still trying to figure out anything about him.

There was no going back now; I was too involved...

"_...too enticed..."_ my stream of conscious reminded me of my perfect word I had thought described Jasper to a letter, my lighthearted musing ending the same time that I decided to throw caution to the wind, to finally act on exactly what my heart had been demanding of me for a while with him now...to take this one risk.

Quite unable to help the action further, as the need to touch this scarred, troubled man was bordering on bringing me soul-clenching discomfort, I slowly brought my hands up to either side of Jasper's perfectly chiseled face, just as he finally lowered his coffee mug from his tempting lips and reached out to his side to place it on top of the granite counter as well.

"...what are you doing...?" Jasper asked me with quiet, almost indifferent words as he made sure his porcelain, painted mug was safely on the granite surface before turning his blonde head towards me once more, his still sleepy cobalt gaze easily finding my own half-lidded green one.

"...something," I murmured mindlessly as I slid my fingers along each of Jasper's cheeks, my expectant body nearly shivering with how smooth his skin felt against my hands as I easily cradled Jasper's jaw inside both of my palms, the pads of my thumbs resting gently on either of his high cheekbones.

"Edward...I'm not gay..." Jasper said in low, half-way apologetic words to me, his voice kept pleasantly quiet from our close proximity in spite of his voiced opposition, which, honestly, fell on deaf ears as I angled his angelic face more towards mine, my eyes transfixed on his lips as they had moved and even spoken such words meant to deter me.

Normally, with any other man, those were the magic words that would instantly send me running for the door, ready to forget that particular man had even existed...but with Jasper...it was different – I could not back down, could not bear the thought of breaking our contact right now.

"Please...just let me do this, Jasper..." I whispered against Jasper's mouth, my eyes having already closed comfortably as I merely gave myself into Jasper's warmth, his undeniable strength, as I touched my lips against the very tips of his own, feeling their satin texture that begged to be known and experienced.

"...you're...about to get punched in the face again..."Jasper tried to growl at me, but I could feel the way his barriers were being compromised, the way he was letting me touch my lips against his as I still kept my light but firm hold on his cheeks, his golden curls tickling my fingertips at the nape of his neck.

"It'll be worth it..." I confessed to him, my voice deep with my growing desire, before I suddenly pressed our lips together, my every fiber being immediately overtaken by the mind-breaking way his petal-soft lips felt against my own in a passionate expression of both longing and acceptance, of something being soundlessly asked and fulfilled.

Jasper hummed briefly against my lips, perhaps due to his apparent surprise, as his slender body trembled before I felt him plant his hands firmly against my chest, ready to violently shove me away from him in spite of the way both of our mouths opened at the same time to draw in air and then press back together in seamless, flowing movements.

"...don't push me away...please, Jasper...let me in," I cooed to him in between our increasingly heated kisses, my words meaning much more than just our fragile intimacy at the moment, as I relished in the feeling of Jasper's hands becoming gradually gentler on my chest, less threatening in nature and more like he simply wished to touch me, as I parted his lips with my own before running the tip of my tongue across his full, bottom lip.

Jasper shivered once more in my arms from how painstakingly careful I was being with him, where absolutely nothing was rushed between us, so I could take my time in savoring everything about him, never missing a thing, as I slipped my tongue inside Jasper's warm, moist cavern and sought out his own velvety muscle to touch and taste.

"_Mmm...I can taste the cinnamon and hazelnut that he used in his coffee...delicious...he tastes... extraordinary..."_ my flying mind spoke clearly to me as I willingly lost myself in the positively delectable taste and texture of Jasper's mouth, our tongues swirling sensuously together and coaxing tiny puffs and sighs of subtle pleasure from us both to be felt and heard by the other.

Letting my ministrations with him become more urgent, a little more demanding of him, I lured his addictive tongue in between my lips and promptly closed them around it, sucking lightly on the tip of his highly-receptive muscle and allowing him to know exactly how much I wanted to please him, all of him.

"...nnh...mmn..."Jasper groaned low in his throat from having me suckle at his tongue as if it were made out of strawberry candy, as my hands drifted appreciatively down either side of his neck, releasing his hair and feeling the silken, sensitive skin of his throat move with his every breath underneath my fingertips.

Making slow, seductive strokes against his tongue with my own, I released my lips from around Jasper's wet muscle so that we may kiss properly again, eager to feel his lovely, crimson lips crushed against mine once more, as my fingers on his collarbone were tingling from so much building want and yearning to experience more with this man, as I found myself feeling intoxicated by how much heavier Jasper's pants for air had become due to our mesmerizing kisses.

This time, with moderate and much more mindful actions, Jasper used his hands holding onto my chest to slowly ease me away from him, my lips chasing after his own with bittersweet, butterfly kisses despite the way the both of us desperately needed to catch our breath, before Jasper noticeably lowered his gaze from mine.

"I um...I got to go to work..."Jasper spoke almost mournfully to me, our hands still touching each other, keeping the other male close, as I heard his words and knew straight away their intended meaning that us being like this here...needed to come to an end.

"...but it's Saturday," I attempted to argue about something of his which I knew very little about, as I lifted an inquisitive eyebrow at Jasper's beautiful face shyly regarding my own.

"I know, but...they're offering overtime, so I thought I'd put in a few hours today," Jasper explained to me, sighing a bit as he did so, making me realize how tired he must still be, how tired his factory job probably made him at the end of his shifts.

I could only imagine.

"Oh...well..." I wanted to argue some more, voice how he should cancel his plans to work today and spend it with me, even if that meant the two of us just staying here at his apartment, "...alright, then."

I could not help but feel wholly disappointed that he was going to go away, that our time this morning was to end within mere moments, as I detached myself from his partially nude body with lingering movements and touches, my eyes betraying the calmness I displayed on the surface as he and I put more distance between us.

With the more distance gaining between us, the more I internally panicked.

"When am I going to see you again?" I asked rather suddenly, just as Jasper was beginning to turn slightly from me so he may navigate towards his bedroom to, no doubt, change into his work uniform and the like.

"I don't know, Edward...this is all happening...really fast, and...I just don't know," Jasper stumbled through such an painfully unclear explanation to me, bringing up a hand to give his unruly, blonde curls a brief ruffle before dropping his arm and lifting his weighted gaze to my own.

I could not accept such a dismissal of the prospect of us spending more time together, not with his taste still rich and smooth on my tongue, not with my fingertips still remembering how much like fine silk his bare flesh had felt like...not with those piercing blue eyes and immaculate body still presented right in front of me.

"I'll make you a deal;" I began plainly, knowing that if there was ever a time to be stern with Jasper, it had to now, as I continued, "...let me give you my information, and then you can call me whenever you want."

Jasper seemed a little surprised by my straight-forward, no-strings-attached sort of deal with him, as he shifted his weight for a second before replying in a much brighter tone to me, "Oh...okay. Just uh...go ahead and jot your number down somewhere, but I really do have to take a shower and get going."

"_Sweet Lord...Jasper in the shower...? There's a sight I definitely want to see..."_ I could not help but mentally interject into our conversation, already able to picture mind-blowing images of the Texan completely drenched with translucent bubbles and streams of water that traced over every, impossibly erotic inch of him, everywhere that I would want my tongue and fingers to follow in the same breath.

"Sure thing," I agreed with a gentle smirk, crossing my arms over my chest as I added for good measure, "...now go on and get ready for work, and I'll start getting dressed out here."

Then, the most amazing thing happened.

Jasper nodded to indicate the positive to my words, his shapely lips curving up into a kindhearted smile at me all the while, the force of which was powerful enough to steal the breath right from my lungs as I beheld such genuine happiness to occur to someone so naturally dazzling, before the blonde-haired male turned on his heel and began striding down the corridor towards the back rooms.

"By all that is holy...that was..." I said aloud quietly as I blanked for an elongated second, fully aware that I was standing completely still and speaking to no one since Jasper had now ventured into the other room, "...I am not...letting this one go."

And with my own multiple meanings stirring heavily inside my mind, I could faintly hear the shower water being turned on from the other room as I turned more into the kitchen, eyes traveling over the expanse of the counter space, various appliances, and the respective nooks and crannies, searching for something to write with and something to write on.

I almost sighed in relief as I spotted on the far edge of the bar a couple of envelopes and a glass jar that housed a variety of writing tools; obviously the spot where he drops his mail and possibly writes notes and such.

I quickly padded out of the kitchen and towards the opposite end of the bar, my hands already reaching out to spread out Jasper's mail and retrieve a pen, when a most peculiar revelation struck me.

"Why...hello there...Jasper H. Whitlock at one-twenty-eight Brookwood Avenue, apartment number three hundred and three..." I said aloud, reading over Jasper's information printed in black and white across each piece of his mail, committing such facts to memory straight away.

A pleased smirk on my face, I retrieved a black ink pen from the jar, bringing it to the front of an ad mixed in with his bills and envelopes, and effortlessly scrawled my own contact information on the front before setting the ad farther apart from the rest, just to make sure that it would catch his notice.

Heaving a great amount of air into my lungs, feeling massive amounts better that I had finally succeeded in giving Jasper a way to reach me, to be a part of my life, I turned away from his mail and pens, and then padded across the living room to where my clothes were still lying across the back of the chocolate brown loveseat, my tie crumpled haphazardly on top of the matching coffee table.

"...guess I can take a taxi to where my car is..."I mused to myself, my tone lazy and uncaring as such a feat, or too much of anything, could not possibly bother me right now, as I merely looked over my expensive business attire and continued with my self-proclaimed list of things to do, "...and then I have to call Alice. She's going to die when she hears about this..."

X

_Author's Note:_ Yes...got another chapter done! Prepare for a subtle twist in the next chapter where our beloved Edward...well, wait...I don't want to give anything away. Sorry; you'll just have to read it, yes? Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Edward's POV_

Five nights later...

Not one call.

It had been five, whole days since I had been inside Jasper's apartment, seen his messy, honey curls, smelt the invigorating scent of his skin, and tasted those perfect, petal-soft lips of his...and not one call had come from him.

I had spoken about Jasper often with Alice, having told her all about my initial excitement upon leaving his apartment that morning, my voice positively beaming as I had explained to her all about how I had met the most intriguing person...the one that she had spotted first as it were, and that such beauty had hit me like a punch in the face, literally.

However, my conversations with her lately about him had grown much more despairing, much more daunting...questioning if it had all been some elaborate, Scotch-induced dream the night prior and nothing more.

The last straw had happened earlier today at work.

"Edward, I'm afraid it's bad news this time, dear," one of my bosses, Mrs. Esme Evenson had spoken to me with maternal tenderness in her voice from across her impressive, oak desk inside her office suite, folding her manicured hands in her lap as she had regarded me carefully, "...but we have decided to give one of your clients over to Emmett McCarty. He recently finished with the..."

"Which client?" I had cut off my kindhearted boss with startled words, me being well aware that my mood as of late had been rather bitter and unpredictable, with customers and coworkers alike, but the news that I was to lose one of my clients had still come as a solid blow.

"A mister...Swan...has requested that someone else handle his affairs for his upcoming business," Esme had informed me after putting her glasses on and looking over one of the many documents that formed modest stacks atop her desk.

I had simply remained silent in my chair to let the information sink in, having admittedly taken such news a bit personally even though my female boss had then proceeded to offer words of encouragement and understanding that I had not known I needed so much.

"Edward, I know I'm not...your mother, dear," she had began softly to me, taking off her reading glasses as I picked up my downhearted gaze to pay her the respect she deserved once more, finding myself clinging to her every word in this moment, "but I can still tell when something is wrong with someone I've known for so long. If I may, I would encourage you to make sure that...things are going the way you want them to in your life."

"You have a great job at one of the top companies in the area, but is that all...?" she had continued to my stunned, intently listening form as I sat completely still inside her office, watching her lovely face smile warmly at me whilst she spoke, "Go after the things that make you happy, Edward, and start living the kind of life that you truly want."

It had taken me a few minutes before I swallowed down the lump that had somehow formed in my throat, goosebumps having been raised all over my arms as her words had been exactly the message that I had only been telling myself but had now heard it voiced to me from someone else, someone whom I respected greatly.

"Yes, ma'am...I will...and...thank you," I had replied to her with still-dazed words, the sensations of brightly renewed vigor and vitality having begun to wash through me, cleansing away my feelings of burden and pointless worry, and I could practically feel something inside me physically change along with her meaningful words to me.

"No thanks are necessary, dear; I just want to see you happy and doing the best you can," she had confirmed resolutely to me, prompting me to stand up from my chair with my re-energized body and soul, so that I may begin living the kind of life that I truly desired...with the one person whom I desired.

Now, as the workday had come to an end and with my boss' crystal-clears words ringing inside my head, I stepped up the last of the beige-painted stairwell on the third floor of the Brookwood apartments, my eagerness having balanced out well within me from the drive across town to get here, as I felt comfortable and certain in my actions.

"_This is what makes me happy...being with him, talking with him...only Jasper,"_ I thought to myself, almost as if to answer Esme Evenson's words to me, as I rounded the familiar corner so that I faced apartment number three hundred and three.

"_I know he's inside; I saw his motorcycle parked down there...I have to do this...I won't be happy until I do..."_ I reminded myself, squaring my shoulders for confidence as I gave my jet-black suit a quick glance before raising my closed fist to the door.

_Knock. Knock._

I could not help but count the seconds before I saw the small, golden doorknob turn and the door get pulled open, revealing a surprised Jasper Whitlock standing there in his navy-blue work pants and grease-smeared white-tee shirt that clung to his chest like a second skin.

"_...hello again, gorgeous,"_ instantly sprang to mind as I beheld the sight of an evidently ruffled and unprepared Texan factory worker who looked liked he had not been home from work for more than a few minutes, the contrast of the black smudges on his thin white shirt seemed to beg for my attention as I let my eyes wander greedily over his form.

My features easily melted into a smile at his disarrayed curls of hair that fell around his pleasantly shocked face as he let his blue eyes widen at my sudden appearance, and I was secretly pleased that I could catch him so off-guard like this.

"Hello Edward. What um...happened to our deal...about me calling you...?" Jasper raised an eyebrow at my smirking form as I took the initiative and stepped inside his apartment, my hands inside the pockets of my black pants as I heard him close the door behind me while he waited for an answer.

"Oh...you can still call me whenever you want. I never said anything about me visiting you, though," I unveiled the loophole in the 'deal' I had made with him, watching with increasing endearment as his lips parted at the realization.

"...I feel tricked," he commented psuedo-accusingly with a smirk of his own at me as he padded into his kitchen, allowing me to see just how insatiably dirty his arms and clothes actually were.

"Sorry about that, but..." I began before growing more serious in the way I spoke to him, watching him from across the bar as he retrieved a couple of bottles of beer from his refrigerator and promptly opened one up, "...I just had to see you."

I knew that the other bottle of beer was meant for me, but I could tell that Jasper was not ready to offer it yet, considering what I had just said to him with pure sincerity in my voice and not so much as a waver in my gaze at him.

"Edward, I just...got off work, and...I haven't taken my meds yet, and..."Jasper began to ramble nervously to me as he stepped to the end of the bar, facing me as I stood partially in his hallways even though his enchanting blue eyes lowered from mine, nearly killing me in the process as I had craved to see their cool, cobalt depths all this time without him.

I took a determined step towards him, my hands sliding out of my pockets as I held fast onto the conversation I had had earlier with my boss, to the feelings that had already taken a hold of my very being that Jasper was still trying not to acknowledge...or could not acknowledge.

"Let me take you to dinner tonight," I interjected calmly yet firmly to his excuses, my snow-kissed features remaining diligent yet patient as I made such an offer to him, watching meticulously as Jasper's lovely features began to appear a bit worried, like he just now realized that I was not hearing his excuses nor was I willing to accept 'no' for an answer...about anything.

"What...uh...why?" Jasper voiced his obvious confusion to me before taking another swig of his chilled brew, his free hand resting on top of his counter as he took most of his weight off of his legs so he may relax his standing form a bit more whilst we talked.

"Well, I know that I'm pretty hungry and I'm willing to bet that you are, too...so..." I went on in a purposefully playful manner, my smirk turning into a gentle smile at him as he finished drinking more of his beer before lowering the bottle from his mouth so he may clarify what I knew he had initially meant with his question.

"No, I mean...why do you want to...be with me so much...?" Jasper's words, so full of the incomprehensible amounts of low self-esteem he had for himself, practically stung at my chest like dull blades as I heard him out, the need to voice the opposite to what his meaning truly was made my next words far more powerful and honest, so I could at least try to make him understand that I did not think so lowly of him.

"I want you to trust me, Jasper...I'm trying to get you to trust me," I confessed to him, unconsciously taking slow, measured steps until I was standing only a few inches away from him, the severity of my words being professed in the way I kept my features almost strict with him, my tone certain and faithful, as I softened my jade-colored eyes at him now that we were so close.

"Even though I told you I'm not gay...?" Jasper questioned me once more, raising another eyebrow at me as he merely held his beer at his side, letting me be so close to him while we spoke about something so intimate and personal, and I was quickly drowning in my overwhelming longing to do more with this man.

"It's okay that you're not...but..." I spoke tenderly with Jasper, my words coming out as careful syllables in spite of the way I simply voiced the first thing that came to me, as I brought my hands up to his shirt and roughly fisted the dirtied fabric in an iron-clad grip, my eyes slowly trailing up his chiseled torso until I was met with striking, stormy blue, "...I was hoping...that you would make an exception for me."

And with my eagerness wholly pushing my overall desire to be sensual with Jasper, I used my grip on his work shirt to briefly yank him closer to me, making his lips slam wonderfully forcefully into mine as I urgently kissed his mouth this time.

The second his lips touched mine, I felt my entire, trying week without him fade amazingly from my core, making me, in turn, feel lighter on my feet, as I purred amiably against his lips before suddenly thrusting my tongue deep inside his mouth, my actions being intentionally more ambitious with him as I licked and tasted every corner of Jasper's warm cavern.

"...mmn...nng..." Jasper trembled against my rose-colored lips, the staggeringly handsome Texan made delightfully helpless in my embrace as I felt every time he purred out his air while I indulged my own senses by ravishing his exquisite mouth, massaging his soft tongue with mine in sinfully slow strokes that continued to pull those delectable noises from him.

His natural cinnamon taste was spiked in a most enjoyable manner by the beer he had been drinking prior to this, and such a delicious combination acted almost like a balm to all of my previous foreboding and feelings of depression as I purged all of my worries about him through his sweet, full lips and responsive tongue, kissing away my doubts and finally tapping into some solid reassurance that Jasper was going to be mine.

"_...ohh, now I love that...Jasper being mine...all mine..."_ my long-since forfeit mind considered in the midst of so much euphoric, sexual haze that was warming my blood and making every inch of me positively burn with the toppling desire of having Jasper naked, lying in his bed just down the hall, ready for me in every possible way.

Already in love with how Jasper was allowing me to taste and kiss him as rigorously or softly as I pleased, I pressed my hands flat against his trim stomach as I leaned more of my aching body closer to him, wanting to feel more of his body while I hummed low in my throat in approval, my tingling tongue licking provocatively at his bottom lip before taking it gently in between my teeth.

"Nnh...Edward..."Jasper breathed in what had to have been the most erotic sound I had ever heard, his heavenly face displaying his madness-inducing arousal due to my teasing, suggestive ministrations as I lightly pulled on his bottom lip with my teeth, urging us into another round of searing-hot kisses that made my already compromised promise to myself to take things slowly with him all but shatter right there.

After having blindly placed his beer bottle on his kitchen counter, I groaned as I leaned heavily into Jasper's touch once I felt his large hands gingerly cradle either side of my jaw; he and I simultaneously switching the positions of our heads so we may have another angle from which to attack the others' addictive mouth; Jasper's talented tongue sweeping hungrily over my own and sending me even more mind-breaking fire to consume my body, his desperate, sensual kisses making it quite easy for me to change my life where I would only yearn for his precious lips to touch me.

Jasper's mouth moved perfectly against my own, our tongues engaged in raw, scorching battle for dominance as I was swiftly lulled into a blessed oblivion that I had desired for perhaps too long, as I slid my hands around Jasper's waist, grasping as his warm, alluring flesh from underneath his white shirt and I could not help but grind my hips hard into his own, needing him to feel exactly what he was doing to me.

Jasper sharply gasped into our kiss upon feeling my throbbing member dig wantonly into his own, our lips separating from his response to the glorious friction have taken place between us, as he let his calloused fingers trail down my strong, square jaw line in lingering touches while he and I both opened our eyes to seek out the other in the midst of so much swimming sensations.

Our breathing was quite heavy due to our intense, soul-bearing kisses and the almost tangible lust we had for one another in this moment, and it was when I felt Jasper's forehead carefully make contact with my own so that we may rest against one another in a pleasantly intimate manner, that I breathed easier, completely contented.

"How does Chinese food sound?" Jasper asked me in a breathless, quiet voice after a brief minute, before the two of us smiled at each other and began chuckling at such an out-of-the-blue question that had obviously meant to pick up where we had left off in our conversation.

My eyes were shining brightly, glinting with joyous emerald into sparkling blue, as I let Jasper's brilliant smile take the breath right out of my lungs, able to feel my own life become substantially better because of such a unimaginable sight, the knowledge peeking to the surface of my halted mind that such a sight was probably not seen by too many others, and I was honestly rendered speechless in this treasured moment as a result.

"...sounds like a plan, Jasper," I replied at last, my words particularly low-spoken and a bit raw inside my throat, as I could not take my eyes off of Jasper Whitlock and his unbelievable, heart-stopping smile, my brain only somewhat aware that I had answered the blonde-haired male at all as my awestricken state was far too vast within me from the glimpse into heaven I had just received.

X

_Author's Note: _The dinner date is set! Tune in for the next chapter where things about Jasper are finally revealed and our two boys get a little more comfortable around each other. YES! Thanks, cheers, and drinks are on me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Edward's POV_

"How does Chinese food sound?" Jasper asked me in a breathless, quiet voice after a brief minute, before the two of us smiled at each other and began chuckling at such an out-of-the-blue question that had obviously meant to pick up where we had left off in our conversation.

My eyes were shining brightly, glinting with joyous emerald into sparkling blue, as I let Jasper's brilliant smile take the breath right out of my lungs, able to feel my own life become substantially better because of such a unimaginable sight, the knowledge peeking to the surface of my halted mind that such a sight was probably not seen by too many others, and I was honestly rendered speechless in this treasured moment as a result.

"...sounds like a plan, Jasper," I replied at last, my words particularly low-spoken and a bit raw inside my throat, as I could not take my eyes off of Jasper Whitlock and his unbelievable, heart-stopping smile, my brain only somewhat aware that I had answered the blonde-haired male at all as my awestricken state was far too vast within me from the glimpse into heaven I had just received.

His gorgeous smile only broadened across his handsome features at my far-away but positive reply as he let his hands drop from my jaw whilst he spoke, "Good. I'll just need a minute to clean up and then we can go, okay?"

"_Okay? Is that okay...with me? Hell yes, it's more than okay! Don't you understand; it's whatever you want, sweetheart..."_ I internally cheered as I shifted my weight on my feet and replaced my hands neutrally inside my pants pockets whilst I regarded him with kind eyes and a knowing smirk.

"Take your time...I'll still be here," I answered Jasper, meaning quite a lot more with my words to him than only what he understood at the moment, as I watched him nod at me before hustling down the unlit hallway to his bath and bedroom to get ready.

Once Jasper had safely left my line of sight, I took my hands out of my pockets and stretched my arms out in front of me, a lopsided grin on my pale features, as I finally felt something click with my life as a whole, like I had just now performed some deed or completed whatever task that had been necessary in order to make the cogs turn once again.

I felt amazing, lighter than air, yet hopeful for the things that were still on the ground with me.

Unable to hide the sheer happiness with the world in which I was currently immersed, I smiled contently as I stepped around the bar and entered the kitchen, picking up the beer from the counter that Jasper had gotten out for me and effortlessly twisted off the small cap.

Taking a deep, relaxing drink of the chilled, foamy brew, I slipped my body onto one of the bar stools placed at the granite-topped bar, simply looking over at the darkened, unoccupied living room from my seat, able to vividly recall my night spent lying on that chocolate-brown couch, staring at the random bumps and grooves that spanned out over Jasper's rich, red-painted walls until I had finally gone to sleep.

Chuckling into my bottle of beer as I took another drink, I nearly rolled my eyes at myself upon remembering how sleep had not come easy that night, as I had thought constantly about Jasper H. Whitlock and all the strange yet eventful occurrences that had landed me in that exact situation, having lovingly recalled every detail of him hitting me in the street, offering me his place to rest, and then allowing me to stay with him that night.

His punch had felt like a marble fixture lopping me upside the head, but his words to me that evening...and the taste of his sweet lips the following morning...had felt like I was getting another chance at life.

Such a strategic line of events had toppled through my mind over and over again that night and the following days after, always making me see, as if right in front of my very eyes each time, the way Jasper had looked wearing only his jeans in the kitchen as he had made coffee for us, his many scars confusing me as well as drawing me in closer to him until I had not been able to stand it any longer and had to touch him.

"_Now I know why some people go crazy..."_ I mused pensively to myself, sipping more of my beer as my eyes traveled comfortably onto the surface of the bar where I sat, my gaze unfocused on the granite designs where a few red and white pot-holders had been lain next to an empty coffee mug that occupied a portion of the modest space, _"...why they just...absolutely lose their shit. Now that I've seen...now that I know what really makes me happy and what that means to me...I'd go crazy, too, if I suddenly didn't have it anymore...if Jasper just all of a sudden disappeared or..."_

Too lost in my own meandering thoughts, I had not even noticed that a freshly showered and changed Jasper had walked down the corridor from his back rooms, and was patiently looking at me from the other side of the bar, his lovely face showing his endearing concern about my lowered eyes and silent demeanor.

"Oh...you're done already," I stumbled through collecting my better wits about myself as I let my jade eyes wander hungrily over the Texan's damp, wheat tresses, his pleasing scent of cinnamon seeming to waft through me in beckoning waves, as I carefully stepped down from the bar stool, "...that was quick."

"Yeah, well...you were right...I am pretty hungry," Jasper commented cutely to me in his southern drawl, turning his body towards the front door where a variety of his jackets hung from golden hooks on the adjacent wall, as I padded to his side, eager to be closer to his arousing aroma and rare beauty.

I smiled at Jasper's words that recalled my own to him a short while ago, watching as the blonde-haired male, who had dressed in a navy-blue, cotton long-sleeved shirt and faded, light-wash jeans, retrieved a dark-green hoodie from one of the hooks and began pulling the durable fabric over his shoulders and down either of his arms.

"Me, too...so, let's get going...oh, and I'm driving," I stated rather than put up for discussion, smirking smartly as Jasper quickly shot up his curly head from looking over his hoodie and attire, his delicious lips already quirked in disbelief.

"What! What do you mean 'your driving'? But, I thought we could take..." Jasper began to ague with me, his shocked words only making me smile wider at him as he attempted to sway me from my idea of seeing him in my car, relying solely on me whilst I drove him wherever he wished.

"_So, this is a power play, Cullen?"_ I asked myself in the split-second it took me before I answered Jasper's questions, _"...perhaps a little...I also just want to be able to talk to him and see him relaxed...preferably in the passenger seat of my car...or in his bed or bath with me behind him..."_

"We're taking my car and that's the end of it," I spoke firmly but not harshly, secretly loving how my stern voice behind my smile hushed a brooding Jasper at once as he reluctantly agreed with a drop of his shoulders, frowning that sexy mouth at me as he quietly huffed in acquiescence through his nose.

"Fine...but you're not buying," Jasper warned me with a lift of an eyebrow, while he made sure he had his house key and wallet tucked securely in the back pocket of his jeans before reaching a hand out and seizing the doorknob.

"...we'll see," I answered coyly, absolutely loving how Jasper rolled his ocean-blue eyes at me as he tried to steady the grin curving his lips at my blatant acts of stubborn goodwill, as he routinely opened the door so we may both exit his apartment.

"So...where exactly are we going?" I asked conversationally of the tall blonde by my side, trying not to stare too much at Jasper's slender back and long legs as he turned back towards his apartment door to lock it before joining me down the steps.

"It's this place not too far from here...I'll tell you where to go," Jasper replied as we both trotted down the stairwell until we reached the first floor and the parking lot beyond, the weather having turned a bit grey and cool outside as it washed over my cheeks and hands the further we ventured.

"...bye, Bella..." I heard Jasper say to his Ducati motorcycle as we passed it in favor of navigating to my silver Volvo parked a few rows ahead, his words making me laugh out loud as I turned to regard him.

"I think she'll miss you, too," I joked playfully, wholly enjoying how I was able to make Jasper smirk in apparent gratitude of my understanding words to him, before the factory worker obviously realized which vehicle we were walking towards.

"Is that your car...?" Jasper asked me with wonderful surprised etched in his smoky tone, his lovely eyes widening as he took in the sight of the sleek lines that housed rather deceptive power of my versatile Swedish automobile.

"Yep, sure is..." I smiled genially at Jasper as I fished out my keys from my own pants pocket and pushed the appropriate button to unlock both of our doors.

With a growing sense of satisfaction upon seeing Jasper not hesitate in the least about opening up the passenger door of my car and climbing inside, I stepped around the front to the driver's seat and slipped inside my automobile as well, barely aware that I was grinning the whole time.

"You'll...want to make a left out of here," Jasper instructed me as he strung the seat belt across his chest and clicked it into place, just as I quickly did the same with mine and brought the key to the ignition.

"Alright..." I said to him before starting my car, the music that I had had on whence I came here playing through the speakers, and I automatically lifted a hand to turn the system off.

However, just as my fingertips touched the volume button, Jasper's strong hand came up and stopped mine, his fingers lying on top of my own and preventing me from accomplishing my mindless task, as my eyes immediately lifted up to seek out his own.

"...leave it," Jasper requested coolly, letting his hand slide off of my own as he flashed me a brief smile before directing his gaze out ahead, obviously ready to begin our excursion.

I blinked before retracting my hand as well from the stereo and placing it on the steering wheel, shifting the car into drive, as the realization slowly dawned on me that Jasper had prevented me from turning off the system because we both liked the same kind of music, that he and I shared something particularly personal and sacred together as being uplifted and moved by the same type of lyrics, the same tones and instruments and ways people used their voice to convey messages of unspeakable hardship, love, and life.

And with the rugged yet beautiful lyrics of the song hovering heavily inside my Volvo as I drove as per Jasper's directions, I could not help but also notice how fitting such music seemed to be for the two of us and our fragile, budding connection, and the way I felt about him.

_I see Hell in your eyes,_

_Taken in by surprise._

_Touching you makes me feel alive._

_Touching you makes me die inside._

X

Twenty-three minutes later...

"No way...you really couldn't walk after one day of skiing...?" Jasper asked me from across the table at the quaint Chinese restaurant charmingly called Wok Right In, as the Texan chuckled around his mouthful of shrimp lo mein at another one of my embarrassing but humorous stories I knew he would enjoy.

"Not at all; it was pathetic...like a baby trying to waddle from one end of the room to the other," I confirmed with a lighthearted smile of my own, feeling extremely pleased and at ease that Jasper and I were able to joke and talk as we were, him having now heard a myriad of stories from me that had been sure to make him laugh...anything so I could see that breathtaking smile of his.

This time, I could not help but laugh at how Jasper nearly choked on his food from my comment, the Texan struggling to keep chewing his food so he could eventually swallow even though his smile was fighting to curve his lips at any cost, the sight of which wholly warming my heart as I ate more of my own meal.

As Jasper dabbed at his hands with his napkin, our laughter dying down to a few snickers and a familiar bond I could feel mending its way between us, I picked up my glass of water, eying him carefully as I brought the cold rim to my lips.

"So, Jasper..." I began cordially enough, not wanting to shatter the hard-earned comfort with one another that we now shared, but the questions in my mind that I was positively dying to ask the blonde-haired man were beginning to take the vibrant, salty flavors right out of my meal the longer I postponed voicing them, "...I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries here, but...why...so many scars? What happened...?"

I watched with transfixed eyes as Jasper lowered his fork from his mouth while also dropping my gaze for a moment, him having to consider my words and their implications that I wished to know the truth about him, any truth at all, and I could feel my blood pump faster through my veins that he had not indicated doing otherwise so far.

"I guess I can...tell you, but I don't want you to freak out or anything...I'd like to come back here some time," Jasper stated after an excruciating minute, his eyes darting off to his right to indicate the rest of the restaurant we were in, and I eagerly nodded my head in agreement.

"It was when I was back in Texas and still living with my father...the fucking bastard," Jasper began, his low words already seething with his past pain and complications as he cursed his parent more to himself than to me before continuing, "...he was...a no-good drunk son of a bitch...always hanging around some pretty shady people."

My whole being was beginning to darken to a grave, somber state the more I heard Jasper out, my mind already putting together the assumptions that Jasper must have had a horrible childhood growing up with a single, unreliable parent where even a regular day could turn into a heartbreaking struggle.

I was already feeling weighed down with sympathy, my body feeling as electric as if I had been walking across a high-voltage wire, and with the pressing need to reach a hand forward and take one of his and tell him that he did not have to say another word about this...that I did not truly have to know.

However, Jasper had just started with his story, and I knew in the far depths of my heart that I did not want to stop him until he had said everything on his mind, even if I felt a little part of me crystallize with his every word.

"...well, turned out that he owned them money...a hell of a lot of money, which...there was no way he could pay back with us only owning our small farm...so, one night, when he wasn't home...they came," Jasper could not look me in the eyes as he told me more of his past, his tongue licking at his teeth as he recalled such a tragic time to me, almost as if speaking about such a subject literally put a bitter taste in his mouth.

I was stunned into silence as I watched as Jasper finally picked up his hurting gaze and cast it into my own, my heart feeling as if if might fall right out of my chest and thud solidly on the tiled floor below, as I chanted to myself in my thoughts that he could not have meant what I thought he had.

"...they got their pound of flesh...just not from him," Jasper concluded indifferently about the situation, his eyes losing their pleading intensity into mine as he lowered them to his own water glass to which he lifted a hand and retrieved, his whole aura turning much colder, much more stagnant...distant.

"_Oh my God...this is...he means that some people burst into his house when he had been all alone...and...and...fucking beat him, tortured him even though he was just a kid...maybe worse... because of his dad...I don't even...I..."_ my mind was breaking in half with all of my endless considerations about Jasper's vague but soul-clenching story to me, his story about how he had gotten all of those horrible scars all over him.

"_It must have been..."_ my damning thoughts continued in the midst of the chilling silence between us, Jasper slowly eating his meal once more as I could not even bat an eyelash at the moment as I peered across the table at him, able to see frightening, conjured images of a younger version of him covered in blood and scared out of his mind as four figures covered in shadows took turns beating and slicing at him, leaving gaping gashes where he now had jagged lines of repaired flesh.

"_...a nightmare...Jasper..."_ my thoughts finished at last, the visions in my head abruptly ending, rendering everything quiet once again and allowing me to hear the chefs cooking and frying in the back of the restaurant, speaking in Chinese to each other, and my eyes immediately locked onto Jasper's form.

"Jasper...I uh..." I began with a restricted throat, not even knowing what I was trying to say to him, as my rushed words prompted him to lift his curly head up from hovering over his food to seek me out.

However, like a much-needed miracle or a breath of fresh air, I felt myself relaxing under Jasper's expectant, sapphire gaze, finding the reassurance I needed right there in his porcelain, chiseled features, features I knew had seen pain and hardship in this life but had fought through all of that and was now calmly eating a meal with me...no one else, but me...and I suddenly realized that I should not spend my time feeling sorry for Jasper...I should cherish him.

"Are you about done because I was thinking that we could go back to your place for a bit...?" I provided with an easy smile, gratefully letting my tension effortlessly vanish from me as I blinked patiently as him as he processed my simple, uncomplicated words that purposefully had nothing to do with the horrifying revelation he had just confessed to me.

I needed him to know that I would not dwell on his past, that his time with me would not revolve solely on what had happened to him.

I needed him to know...that I just wanted to be with him.

"...yeah...yeah, we can do that," Jasper agreed adorably to my request, moving his plate a little further up on the table to make room for the to-go boxes that he and I now needed to ask for from the waitress, and I smiled at him and his quiet words to me.

X

A little later that evening, at Jasper's apartment...

"Just pick whatever you want to watch...maybe something you've never seen before..."Jasper called to me from his kitchen as I was currently bent over and looking through the many movie titles that lined the compartments of his entertainment center.

It had been an unconscious occurrence to keep his living room dim as we were about to watch one of his movies, and I had to lean in close to be able to read over his selection as I listened to Jasper open his refrigerator and grab a few bottles of beer for us both.

"I don't know...you've got a lot to choose from here...what do you feel like watching?" I attempted to toss the decision back on my blonde-haired, blue-eyed host as he closed his refrigerator and began stepping around the bar to join me in the living room.

"Nope...you choose," Jasper dodged easily as he navigated to the couch behind me, his green hoodie having been placed back on its wall hook whence he had arrived here, leaving him clad in his long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

"Alright; I've never seen this one before..." I murmured, selecting one of the movie cases and snapping it open to retrieve the disc.

"Which one is it?" Jasper asked me from the couch, already sipping his beer as he had his legs parted wide and his whole, slender form slouched enticingly so amongst the cushions and pillows, and I mindlessly licked at my lips upon turning around in my spot to regard him.

"...'My Left Foot' with Daniel Day-Lewis," I replied as I stepped to the other end of the couch, my own suit jacket having been discarded and lain along the back of the matching loveseat, which made my white dress shirt and black pants contrast richly with the overall darkness of the unlit house.

"Good choice...weird...but good. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing, isn't he?" Jasper commented as I sat down relatively close to him and picked up my frosty beer from the coffee table before leaning back as well, a relaxed sigh escaping me as I reclined against the overstuffed pillows.

"Yeah...he's not in a whole lot of movies, but the ones he is in...his acting is almost too good, totally makes the movie," I replied smartly, myself being a fan of the not-so well-known actor before I drank some of my beer.

"Have you ever seen 'There Will Be Blood' with him in it?" Jasper asked me with mild excitement in his voice, obviously enjoying our conversation and shared interests as the old but stellar movie played out in front of us, depicting the story of Irishman Christy Brown who had been born with cerebral palsy, "Daniel Day-Lewis owned that movie. His performance was epic."

"I haven't seen it yet...maybe we can watch that the next time I'm here," I provided with a sly smile as I tipped my head towards Jasper's direction, my beer still freezing in my hand, as I made the intentional comment that I wished to spend even more time over here with him, just like this.

"Definitely," Jasper replied quickly before taking another swig from his brown, glass bottle, his eyes directed forward as he watched the movie, while I, admittedly, caught myself watching more of him than Daniel Day-Lewis' award-winning acting, as my emerald gaze nearly memorized just how the fluorescent, blue-white glow of the shining television highlighted Jasper's prominent features perfectly, making the kindhearted Texan positively ethereal next to me.

Further into the movie and another beer later, I could tell that the film was almost over as I quickly redirected my eyes towards Jasper when he yawned quietly by my side, indicating how tired he was as well as how late it was inevitably getting.

Feeling a bit bold in my serene, comfortable state, I slowly brought up my hand, as both of my arms had been stretched out along the back cushions on either side of me, and gingerly began to thread my fingers through Jasper's short, styled tresses at the back of his head, letting their soft texture ghost over my fingertips as I kept my every movement impossibly gentle with him.

"Mmm..." Jasper audibly purred from my loving ministrations, closing his eyes and giving into my touches and I literally saw the last of his tension melt from his shoulders, as I carefully ran my fingers up and down through his hair, massaging his scalp with light scratches against his golden mane.

"Does that feel good?" I spoke in a voice kept quiet enough not to break my spell on Jasper, as I felt him subtly nod his head before murmuring 'mm-hmm' in response, my fingertips continuing to sift through his silken curls as I moved a few behind his ear, my eyes locked onto his heavenly face all the while.

"...come here," I whispered as I moved closer to him, using my featherlight hold on him to anchor myself towards him as I scooted across the small space in between us and brought up my other hand to his porcelain features.

"You are so beautiful, Jasper...the first time I saw you...you made me forget how to breathe..." I cooed the truthful words to his closed eyes and pleasantly relaxed features, admiring them for only a moment more, before I angled Jasper's striking face towards my own and softly pressed my rose-petal lips to his.

Once more, I felt such harmony with the world absolutely soothe over me in one, giant crash of unforeseeable euphoria the second I had Jasper's petal-soft lips moving against my own, accepting everything about me like some undeserved miracle taking place right this moment, as I moved my hands to cradle Jasper's jaw line against my palms, always willing to keep him as close as possible.

Then, bringing me insurmountable joy wrapped up in this tender moment, I felt Jasper lightly nip at my bottom lip before smoothly licking it with the tip of his tongue, his actions painstakingly begging me to open my mouth and play with him as he wished, and I could not help the pleased smile that curved my lips against his.

Sliding my hands further back into his hair so I may have more leverage, I obeyed Jasper's request and opened my mouth for him, our tongues urgently finding one another outside of our lips before I slammed my pleading lips back against his, my own body able to practically feel exactly how slow or hurried Jasper wanted to be kissed.

"...nnh..."I shuddered briefly in unspeakable pleasure upon feeling Jasper's hands weave into my own unruly, bronze locks and giving them a commanding tug, indicating his overall need that my ministrations with him be harder, more intense, and I could not comply fast enough for my angel.

Leaning my weight forward, I slowly urged Jasper to lie back on the couch, our lips never separating as I greedily swallowed his small gasp once I had him pinned against the cushions, letting him feel more of me as I carefully balanced my weight on my knee beside him and my chest pressed wonderfully against his own.

Having him underneath me like this was intoxicating, his every delicious line and curve that made up his immaculate form being totally at my fingertips, as I drowned in his scent and soul, relishing in everything about him as I pulled my lips and tongue away from his and instead trailed them along the side of his neck.

"...haa...E-Edward...mmh..."Jasper's breathless moans were excruciating as they were heaven-sent as they filled the otherwise silent apartment as I teased at his sensitive flesh with my teeth and tongue, bringing him cotton-soft pleasure to be felt as I ran my tongue and lips over the smooth contours of his throat, before playfully nipping at his flesh and feeling his body tense up beneath my own.

"Jazz..does this mean...you're making an exception for me...?" I asked with a growing smile behind my husky voice, honestly quite curious to hear his answer as I slid my hands down his now slick neck as I brought my face close to his once more.

I had to hear his answer...

Jasper blinked those stormy-blue eyes at me, his struggle against his late-night drowsiness evident, as he briefly licked at his lips in thought before answering me, his hands having released their grip on my auburn locks as he simply let his fingers remain buried in my hair, something which I would not have traded for the world at the moment.

"I um..." Jasper faulted for a second before blinking again at me, our eyes locked in a heated stare and our lips tingling with the need to taste the other once more, as our bodies being this close to one another was beginning to usher in maddening warmth and the need to simply have more, more than I knew I should take from him tonight, "...I do trust you, Edward...I've reached that point...and now, I guess, I'd be willing to see where this goes...where...we...go."

My heart, once holding painfully still inside my ribs, fluttered wildly at Jasper's words, words that meant that he and I were to be in each others' lives now, that I had somehow broken passed his long-standing barriers and earned his trust...words that meant that he was mine and I was his.

"_I'm saved,"_ rang clearly through my head at once, the ambiguity of such plain yet complicated words meaning a variety of things to me, as I smiled handsomely down at Jasper's patient face, his honey-blonde curls fanned out across the dark-brown of his couch like a stunning Renaissance portrait.

"Jasper...baby...you have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that," I confessed with a heavy heart and a barely-there voice, watching as Jasper returned my smile with one of his own, one that I had been seeking out all evening from him and now...it was right there in front of me, just after hearing the Texan welcome me into his life and arms.

It was unlike anything I had ever felt before, definitely nothing I had ever thought possible...and now it was mine.

My mind being in an exuberant overload, I captured Jasper's lips with my own for one last kiss that evening, relishing in the way he freed his hands from my hair so he may wrap his arms around my shoulders, holding me close and filling me with even more joy to be savored as I watched him close his beautiful eyes in peace.

"...Jasper...I think I should let you get some sleep..." I offered the evidently exhausted factory worker, admittedly loving the feeling of his sex-inspiring lips pressed firmly against my own, but I could not help but be cognizant of the fact that I needed to take things slowly with him, that I could not rush him with this or let anything crumble in my hands if I could help it.

I wanted so much more with Jasper than just something temporary and insignificant, so...for now, I knew I should take my time, make sure he still gets some sleep...make sure... he knows just how serious I am about him behind my carefree smiles.

"Yeah, I am pretty beat..." Jasper confirmed drowsily, the blonde-haired male not even trying to sit up from the couch as I leisurely lifted myself off of him and made to stand up, "...I'll see you tomorrow...?"

"_How could he even ask such a question...doesn't he know by now..."_ my thoughts chimed inside my head as I stepped to the back of the adjacent loveseat to retrieve my black suit jacket, slipping the expensive garment on and straightening my cuffs out of habit as my pale features melted into a charmed smile at his lounging, tired form.

"Of course...and the day after that, if you want..." I reassured my snoozing obsession with quiet words, my jade-colored gaze unwavering as I peered down at his closed eyes and the steady rises and falls of his chest as he breathed deeply, my fingers deftly fixing the folds of my jacket and making the lapels lie flat against my chest all the while.

The glowing black of the finished movie provided enough illumination for me to see and move about without incident, and it was only after a few strides that I approached Jasper's front door, but had to turn my head to look over my shoulder back at the slumbering survivor, able to recall every word, every look, every single emotion from him that had come my way up until now, as I stood there on the few squares of linoleum before his door.

His eyes had spoken volumes to me since the beginning, enchanting me with the innumerable facets that lie within sapphire pools about Jasper's real identity otherwise kept hidden via rarely spoken words and a strong tendency to keep everyone at arm's length from him.

His charisma had captured me in an instant, making the task frighteningly effortless to let the rest of the world fade to a meaningless blur where the only thing I could concentrate on was Jasper himself...making me long to be next to him, close to him...always.

His stories had haunted me, making me forget how to speak and how to respond at the time I had heard them...right before I had realized just how truly lucky _I_ was...to have known him at all.

My movements halted as I simply took a seemingly elongated moment to peer across the black and grey-tinted living room to where Jasper now slept, his curly, blonde head propped up on one of his large pillows as he had one, jean-clad leg bent over the edge, and I let the full weight of my contemplations sink in.

"_...very lucky..."_ I mentally murmured to myself, confirming what had already been present in my thoughts and inside my heart that I honestly could claim that I was becoming a better man because of meeting Jasper H. Whitlock, one of the strongest, most admirable people I had ever known.

X

_Author's Note:_ Sweet Lord, it took me forever to think of some epic tragedy for our beloved Jazzy here. One other thought I had was that he could have gotten blown up while being overseas in the military...but...since that's not really my cup of tea, I decided to scrap that idea. Let me know what you think, yes?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_Edward's POV_

Thirteen days later...

"Would it be alright if I took the rest of the day off?" I asked my female boss, Mrs. Evenson, as I folded my hands cordially in my lap whilst sitting across from her large desk, watching as a warm smile had broken out across her pleasant face even before I had finished speaking.

"Of course, Edward!" Esme, dressed in a tasteful, grey striped business suit and glasses, beamed happily to me, seeming to be extremely pleased that I was asking for paid time off of work at all.

"Thank you, ma'am...but, are you sure it's okay?" I reiterated my concern about her hasty agreement, all of which she nonchalantly waved off while continuing to smile at me.

"I am one hundred percent sure that it's okay, Edward. This is the first time in a while that you have requested time off, and besides...I can tell something is different about you," Esme Evenson began cryptically yet with a staggering degree of wisdom in her voice as she tilted her brown head slightly to a side whilst we spoke, almost as if she was looking directly at this aforementioned change within me.

"What...do you mean, if I may ask...?" I asked politely of my boss, feeling a bit nervous as the spotlight of her keen eye around the office building had obviously picked up a few things about me recently, and I was ridiculously curious as to what she might say as her reply.

"You're smiling more, Edward. You've been doing excellent work with all of your clients lately...even your attitude in general has been...brighter. And, I know that I am not the only one who has noticed," Esme explained jovially to me, her elegant words and vibrant speaking pattern all but igniting a small but rapidly increasing fire inside of me as I considered the sole, single reason for such personal improvements which she had named.

Jasper.

He and I had been spending a lot of time together these passed few weeks, talking comfortably about random things as they had come to us, oftentimes while lounging on his plump couch in relaxation, or dining out as we pleased so that we may experience each others' long-standing recommendations about different foods and places we had been.

More than anything, our time together had been about simply being with one another, so that we may continue to get closer, more bonded as two people on this earth, and to hopefully know the other a little bit better at the end of the day.

It had become a familiar, accepted occurrence between us now that I show up at his apartment after work, and I loved how Jasper was slowly but surely welcoming me and our relationship with open arms.

I had never been happier.

"Oh...well..." I ducked my copper-colored head down to try to hide my growing smile as thoughts and fresh memories of my blue-eyed angel ran rampant inside my mind, nearly overwhelming me as I struggled to offer some kind of reply, "...you're probably right."

"I know I am," Esme regarded me with a soft chuckle before continuing, "...now get going...I don't want to see you here until tomorrow morning...and even that is negotiable. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, Mrs. Evenson," I replied in a pseudo-strict manner that matched her own, our uncanny understanding of one another almost eerie and absolutely wonderful as I promptly stood up from the wooden chair and made to exit her office and, ultimately, the whole building.

I had had an idea earlier this morning about my Jasper, and I knew I needed to act fast if I still wanted to make it happen.

"_I'm in for a hell of a drive..."_ I mused to myself as I quickly made my way from the astoundingly ornate, gold and black-decorated outer lobby if Meyer and Associates, my black shoes clacking solidly against the polished marble flooring as I utilized my current excitement-fueled adrenaline and nearly sprinted towards the attached parking garage, _"...but it'll be worth it...Jasper's always worth it...besides...there is going to be zero traffic on the roads right now since it's only eleven in the morning."_

X

One hour and twenty-two minutes later...

With my paper bag full of the food I had just finished picking up from a nearby sandwich shop held tightly in my hand, I tried to keep my eyes on the path in front of me as I walked cautiously slow through the main aisle that ran alongside the right side of the giant, steel factory I was currently in.

Huge, four-story shelves not unlike what one would see in a warehouse full of skids and boxes lined the west perimeter of the factory where I walked while the entire opposite end in the housed a vast expansion of loud machinery where I could see many men dressed in hard hats and the same blue work clothes I had seen on Jasper.

My beloved blonde-haired Texan had let it slip one evening that he worked at the steel factory on the north side of town, and it had been the very next morning that I had researched such information so I may find directions to said place and surprise Jasper with lunch one day – this day.

The noise from machines being manned by the employees was ceaseless, coupled with the overall hum of the conveyer belts carrying heavy, raw materials as well as finished product all over the plant, and it was unabashed interest in such a shamelessly rugged place of work that I carefully navigated away from the warehouse area and towards the many people working with the steel and metal materials.

Then, after I had to duck my head under one curve of the conveyer belt that seemed to coil around each independent work area, I saw him.

In spite of the fact that I had already long-since accepted that Jasper's natural beauty was absolutely compelling to me, completely capable of stopping me dead in my tracks nearly every time I saw him comfortable and relaxed, I still felt my breath leave my lungs in a dizzying rush that made me waver briefly on my feet where I stood on the solid concrete floor.

Jasper Whitlock had the longer locks of his honey-colored hair pulled back from his face and tied with an elastic band, clear, safety glasses adorning his heavenly face, as he concentrated on smoothing the large, metallic cylinder held in his gloved hands, bright, orange sparks occasionally spewing forth from the high-spinning machine he was currently using.

"_Ooh...that...is...such a...nice view..."_ I mentally stuttered, able to feel my cock stir inside my suit pants from such an alluring sight as I took another brief moment to observe the way Jasper skillfully cut and polished what appeared to be part of an exhaust system for an automobile as he had the long, blue sleeves of his work shirt rolled up to his elbows, displaying his thick, strong forearms, _"...and I was absolutely right...he does look fucking hot at work."_

"Jasper!" I called after forcibly shoving away my trance-like reverie, once again eager to follow through with my surprise and treat my hard-working boyfriend to lunch as I lifted up a hand tot catch his attention.

However, not being a total shock to me, Jasper made no indication that he had heard me above all the noise going on inside the factory.

Taking a few more steps forward, I called his name again, this time making Jasper whip his head up from his work, a curious expression on his face behind his glasses, as his eyes darted around for a moment before finally landing on me.

I could not help but smile affectionately at him, before lifting up the large, white sack of food in my hand to indicate that I had bought him lunch, my excitement increasing exponentially whence I witnessed my tall Texan smirk softly at me as well.

Shuffling my weight on my feet for a moment while Jasper switched off the machine, set his materials aside, and took off his safety glasses that were also placed on a nearby work table, I watched as he comfortably began walking towards me, easily navigating underneath the towering conveyer belt and metal columns that supported such heavy weight from the floor.

"Hey...what are you doing here?" Jasper asked me with light, cheerful words, his gorgeous eyes shining with his appreciation of my surprise visit as my own gaze traced over the subtle upwards curve to his lips and the exact way a few of his wheat-blonde curls had fallen out of his short pony-tail and softly touched his cheeks.

"I wanted us to have lunch together..." I explained with carefully chosen words, not at all describing my child-like nervousness all the hours leading up to this point in meeting him at his place of work and spending some more quality time with him, "...would it be alright if you..."

However, just as I was about to finish my statement, two men suddenly rounded the corner of the high-reaching shelves by which Jasper and I were standing, one of them already speaking to us and cutting off my words to Whitlock.

"Hey, man...who's the suit? We being audited or something...?" the shorter, stockier one with russet-colored skin and jet-black hair joked for all to hear, making the both of them laugh out loud while they drew nearer to Jasper and myself.

My eyes narrowed dryly at the speaker's smiling, mocha face, before switching to observe the other male, briefly taking in the smug look on his pale face as he had his long, straight blonde hair tied back in a low pony-tail

"Knock it off, Jake..." Jasper spoke to the dark-skinned young man before us, the Texan turning to face the both of his co-workers as he continued in a neutral tone, "...this is my friend Edward."

"'Edward,' was it? I don't think someone like you belongs here...it's no secret what you trying to do with our boy, Jasper here..." the other male spoke directly to me instead, completely bypassing any of Jasper's attempts to politely handle the situation, as he kept his dark blue eyes trained keenly on me in spite of the way a small smile seemed to be permanently affixed to his face.

A jarring jolt of unspeakable anger flourished through me upon hearing the second man's words to me, words that I knew he had hoped would put me in place and clam me up, but I quickly swallowed down some spit before speaking.

"Just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?" I shot back, cocking up an eyebrow at the sneering, long-haired male as I tried to keep my volume in check so I did not alert the rest of the whole steel factory, "You don't know the first thing about me for Christ's sake!"

"I know enough just by looking at you that you like cock, you asshole!" the same male raged back at me, barely having enough time to spit his hateful words out before Jasper abruptly stepped right into his twisted face, peering his rain-blue eyes directly into the shouting male's gaze.

"Shut the fuck up, James..." Jasper said coolly, his words as harsh and solid as the very metal he worked with as he first flexed his fingers at his sides before balling his hands into tight fists whilst he continued, "...or are we about to have a real problem?"

My body was buzzing with nervous energy where I stood while I watched Jasper face off with James, knowing first-hand just how detrimental Whitlock's punches truly were to a human being's health, as I honestly felt all of my anger sidling out of my body, only to be wholly replaced with copious amounts of raw, sweet flattery and more than enough lust than I could handle from such a display.

"Tch..."James voiced before breaking eye contact with Jasper as he looked towards Jacob by his side, "...let's go, man; we got shit to do."

The blonde and black-haired males turned around in their spots and began heading back the same way they had come from, although their posture was a bit different than when they had arrived with jokes and jeers on their tongues, and my eyes quickly reverted back to Jasper as the Texan took a slow, deep breath, probably in order to calm his nerves.

From behind him, I reached a hand forward and touched my fingertips against the exposed part of Jasper's forearm, prompting the latter to turn back around to face me, his expression still hard and pensive as he regarded my glinting, pleased eyes and parted lips.

"Jasper...that was amazing, you standing up for me like that...wow..." my words rushed out of my mouth before I cleared my throat, gathering more of my better wits in that small amount of time before I redirected my emerald gaze back upon his softening, understanding features, "...it's nice to be on the other end of those fists for a change."

"I'm really sorry about all that, Edward..." Jasper immediately apologized to me, completely dodging my attempt at light humor to break such an intense atmosphere, as his lovely sapphire orbs pleaded with me to hear him out and accept his words of lamentation, "...those guys are dicks, and I didn't even know you were coming today, and I just...oh my God, what a disaster..."

"Jasper, please...just calm down..." I gently cut him off with a growing smile, lifting up a hand to his porcelain features and cradling one of his kissable cheeks against my palm as I ran the pad of my thumb across his full, bottom lip, my feelings of building joy and happiness with this man all but ready to explode out of me on account of hearing his apologies after he had, in fact, just protected me those bastards.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for, sweetheart...except..." I trailed off wickedly, my smile having turned into a daring smirk across my features as I blinked slowly at his heavenly face, watching as a little fear crept enticingly so into his own widened gaze.

"...except for what...?" Jasper asked me, taking my bait as I leaned forward the remaining, small distance between us so that I could quickly place my lips by his ear and whisper my answer.

"...except for how hard you made me when you were about to fight that guy for me," I purred the sinfully seductive and utterly true words to my blonde-haired angel, smiling against the fallen locks of his hair as I could physically feel him shiver upon hearing my openly suggestive words.

Leaning back to stand at my full height before him, I watched as Jasper smirked shyly, his eyes looking off to his left for a moment, before he said around a chuckle, "I'm starving...let's eat, okay...?"

I smiled at Jasper's bashful antics, wholly charmed by the light blush staining his cheeks as he and I began walking towards another part of the factory, Jasper already telling me some things about the place and where I should be most careful if I was to make coming there a habit.

I smiled in earnest as I listened to Jasper ramble on by my side, my sharp, green eyes watching him closely as he spoke and pointed to a variety of people and things as we passed them by, his mannerisms being completely evident that Jasper was, in fact, glad I had come to visit him after all.

I blinked at him as my smile grew across my features, catching Jasper's gaze as he also turned his head to cast his enchanting blue orbs my way as his lips curved up into a heart-warming smile, my mind realizing that I had not exactly been paying the greatest of attention to everything he had just finished saying to me...because I was just thrilled he was speaking to me at all.

A few minutes later, Jasper and I had successfully ventured into the surprisingly large break room located at the far west end of the factory, where the white and blue-striped walls were kept spotlessly clean as well as the many, long tables that were meant to host a great capacity of people at one time, I imagined.

However, at such a strange time for taking a break, there were only a few other men sitting at a couple of tables more towards the middle and right side of the room, so Jasper and I naturally gravitated towards the left side of the room so we may have a bit of privacy while he we ate and talked.

"You look tired..." I commented with a playful smirk as I settled into my chair across from Jasper, noticing as I set out our food how he first rolled his eyes at me but then lifted a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I am; you're right...I could probably use some time off pretty soon..." Jasper replied back conversationally, but something else caught my attention other than his words, as my eyes narrowed in on the back of his hand.

"What happened?" I asked quickly but quietly of my blonde-haired obsession, brazenly taking his hand in my own and bringing it closer to me as I inspected a small but painful-looking cut adorning the top of Jasper's index finger where his blood was already starting to dry.

"Oh...I forgot about that..." Jasper said in a bored, unconcerned manner which gravely contrasted to my own as I watched like a person robbed as the tear in Jasper's flesh threatened to spill even more of his precious blood before me, "...I think it happened earlier when I was switching out the harmonic balancers on...the..."

Jasper's explanation died slowly in his throat as I lifted his injured hand to my mouth and boldly slid his bleeding digit in between my lips, already circling my tongue around his intruding finger and lapping up the tiny drops of tangy crimson that I could taste there.

My eyes blinked up to seek out his own upon hearing my angel's breath catch in his throat, striking blue peering dreamily across my features as I carefully released his moistened finger from my warm mouth, giving his fingertip a light kiss before placing his hand down on top of the table once more.

Jasper continued to say nothing for a moment as he merely watched me with half-lidded eyes that spoke more to me of how he felt than words ever could, and I smiled knowingly at him prior to speaking, secretly pleased that I was able to affect him so much at his place of work, as I quickly nodded my head towards his untouched sandwich sitting in front of him.

"You better hurry...we don't have much time left," I commented smartly, taking a bite of my own as I watched him just about have to shake his head to get back in touch with reality and the unrelenting fact that he did, in fact, have to go back to work eventually.

"...right..." Jasper murmured before lifting his gigantic turkey sandwich on wheat bread to his mouth and taking a hearty bite as well, the sight of which only pleasing me all the more as I watched him eat the lunch I had planned out and bought for him.

"So, Jazz...I was thinking..." I began once I had swallowed down the food inside my mouth, licking my lips a little as I kept my eyes trained on Jasper's lowered face as he continued devouring his sandwich, his little golden curls falling in across his brow in the process, "...I'm off for the rest of the day...so, I was hoping I could just go to your place and wait for you there."

Jasper looked up whence I had finished speaking my idea to him, his mouth full of food as he chewed slowly, obviously thinking over my words and their implications of how I simply wished to see him as soon as possible this day after he was finished with work, and it under my unwavering attention that I saw Jasper lower his gaze to the table.

"_I know what he's doing...he probably already agreed with me in his head, but now he's thinking up reasons to say no to me or why it couldn't work...say something else, Edward! Quick!"_ I mentally checked the situation, myself having become quite wise to a myriad of Whitlock's certain looks or lack thereof that indicated volumes of which pathways he was thinking and decisions he was trying to sort through as I had come to notice that Jasper still had a difficult time completely letting down his guard and accepting certain things and ideas from me.

"...I'll make dinner," I coaxed with a friendly smile, finally receiving a more carefree look from my angel as he set his sandwich down once more, dabbed at his fingers with a few light-brown napkins, and then reached into one of his pants pockets to retrieve something, an acquiescing smirk on his face all the while.

I could feel my whole face positively light up with a brilliant smile as I watched Jasper extend his house key towards me, one of his eyebrows cocked up at me in a pseudo-strict manner as I gratefully accepted the tiny object as if it was made out of gold, the knowledge that Jasper had agreed with me after all nearly setting fireworks off inside my body and soul as I clutched the key underneath the table.

"I'll see you right after work then, Edward..." Jasper trailed off with a growing smile, the sight of which was quickly making my every nerve ending bounce eagerly inside my systems at the prospect of gaining this much trust with such a wonderful, beautiful person, a person whose trust did not come easily and whose breathtaking smiles, I felt, were reserved only for me.

"_I can't wait...as soon as I leave here, I'm going to be all alone inside Jasper's apartment...I know; I could clean a little and really impress him...ohh...and I'm definitely checking out his bedroom...I bet it smells like him..."_ my thoughts were swimming crazily inside my head already at my tasks at hand, as I returned Jasper's small smirk with an affectionate smile of my own, the seriousness of my eyes, however, conveying just how much I truly understood and appreciated Jasper's willingness to trust me with something like this.

"...better believe it," I replied in good faith as I pocketed Whitlock's house key, treasuring it more than Jsaper could possibly understand at the moment, as it had also been quite a while since I had wanted a specific someone's trust on such a personal, permanent level, to desire to be so close that I would be open for the greatest of experiences of warmth and love or the cruelest of hardship and heartbreak, and the fact that my rare intentions were being reciprocated...meant the world to me.

"_God...I knew it...I knew it all along..."_ I internally came to grips with something, something that should have perhaps felt like a tremendous revelation taking place while I stood atop a huge, snow-capped mountain overlooking spiraling valleys, but was actually quietly done in my head as I sat there in the plain break room of Jasper's factory where he and I began eating more of our sandwiches again, _"...I love him...I love you, Jasper Whitlock."_

_Author's Note:_ Okay. I recently got super inspired to continue this story, as a truckload of ideas of where to take this fic just suddenly bombarded me...so, on we go with Jazz and Ed, and prepare for some major, crazy-awesome twists coming up. Fufufu. XD


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Edward's POV_

A few hours later...

I simply could not help myself; the smile that was beaming across my pale features as I switched off the stove inside the kitchen of Jasper's apartment, having become exceptionally bigger now that I had finished preparing our dinner of penne pasta in a creamy vodka sauce, sided with a simple yet elegant salad and zesty garlic bread that was currently cooling off on the counter top beside me.

I had stopped by the closest market of which I knew to be in this area prior to coming here, having practically raced through the brightly illuminated aisles with hurried vigor in my steps as I had craved to use the key Jasper had given me to let myself into his apartment on my own.

The aspiration was, for all intents and purposes, quite silly, but I could not help but feel giddy and ripe with excitement the entire time I had been here, having first tidied up around his living room and kitchen before setting to work on our dinner for later this evening.

I wanted everything to be perfect.

I wanted Jasper to be impressed with everything I had done for him when he arrived home.

I wanted Jasper to know that letting me into his apartment, his life, had been the right decision.

"...hope he likes it..." I said aloud to myself, giving all the burners one last glance to make sure that I had turned everything off before stepping away from the stove, intending on walking out of the modest kitchen as I pushed my rolled-up sleeve a little higher along my forearm...that was, until something caught my eye.

Sitting there on Jasper's counter were two, small orange bottles of his prescription medicine, 'Jasper H. Whitlock' followed by his address labeled clearly on each of them, and I unconsciously drew my bottom lip in between my teeth as I eyed the objects curiously.

"_I would really like to know..."_ I mentally regarded the situation, trying to find the harmlessness in it as I did not step out of the kitchen as I had intended, and instead reached forward and picked up one of the pill bottles.

"_...monoamine oxidase..."_ I read to myself, furrowing my brow a bit at the terminology that I could not place right away, until I continued scanning the white, printed label, _"...tetracyclic antidepressant..."_

"Antidepressants?" I voiced, confusion lace with blunt fear ultimately flaring through me at the prospect that Jasper was struggling with some sort of depression, something so severe that he had been seen by professionals at one time and ultimately made to medicate for such a thing, as I only quickly glanced at the other prescription bottle and clearly read the word 'anxiety.'

I blinked at the tiny, orange cylinder holding many, white pills in my hand, my mouth open as my thoughts raced to try to fit this new information into the accumulating puzzle otherwise known as Jasper Hale Whitlock, searching through my cognizant database of recollections of any instances when my blonde-haired angel had shown signs of being depressed.

"_When I first met him..."_ I immediately put the memories to the forefront of my mind, able to see how irrevocably lonely Jasper had looked even whence I had sat next to him at that bar downtown, trying to talk to him about anything...right before he had acted out and punched me in the face.

"_I know this has something to do with what he told me about his father and those people coming to his house...those have to be the reasons for these...I know it's all connected..."_ I deduced as much about the underlying explanations pertaining to Jasper's need of anti-anxiety and depression medicine, the revelation admittedly hitting me harder than what I had been prepared for, as I could feel my heart ache inside my deflated chest.

"...my God..." I murmured sadly, carefully placing the pill bottle right where I had found it on the counter, just as I heard the knob to the front door twist and release the metallic catch from the jamb, the commonplace sound all but startling me out of my gloomy musings and my now building questions and concern for my beloved Whitlock as I hustled out of the kitchen at last.

"Jasper..." I breathed with a growing smile, feeling tension I had not even known was present in my shoulders fade away at the sight of wheat-colored curls ducking down as Jasper kicked off his heavy work boots by the door, his blue, long-sleeved shirt open in the front as the ends merely ghosted across his trim sides and waist.

Then, it all happened in the space of a second, just enough time for my eyes to linger over his entire, slender form as he pushed the door closed behind him; my thoughts rushed through me with the force and intensity of a charging army in which every, running soldier believed wholeheartedly in the cause for his war and struggle as they all surged forward with willful souls and deadly weapons at the ready.

"_I can help him...I can fix him...make him happy...I can...just me..."_ my thoughts were pointed and blunt inside my head like a half-conscious mantra taking place during only the allotted time to properly blink an eye, before my feet started taking unthinking yet determined steps directly towards an unsuspecting Jasper.

"Hi, Edward...I was able to leave a little bit early since I finished what I had been working on, and..." Jasper had attempted to chat casually with me about his day, but was cut off as I hastily approached him and pushed his body up against the closed door behind him, my outstretched fingers already sliding against his marble-esque cheeks as I slammed my rose-colored lips onto his.

I could feel Jasper initially freeze upon being handled so abruptly, before the enchanting, blonde-haired male within my grasp gradually relaxed his tantalizing body against my own, his well-built chest pressing deliciously against mine as I moved my lips sensually against his own, coaxing him to let me taste him.

I eased my hands into his delightfully textured hair, trembling as I felt Jasper snake his hands up my back until he could squeeze encouragingly at my shoulder blades, as he and I both parted our lips at the same time to let our soft, pink tongues tangle and dance together in a heated, romantic embrace that just about perfectly resembled how much this man meant to me, how much I truly wanted him.

"...mmh...nng..." Jasper groaned into our increasingly passionate kiss as I used my tongue to endlessly stroke and sweep over his own in a maddening rhythm in which I could almost physically feel Jasper diverging out of his right mind, just like how I wanted him, as I gently ushered both of our worlds to slip away from us with each flick of my tongue against the tip of Jasper's own before quickly pecking at his sweet lips once more, eager to start the whole process over again and devour anything of his self that he would be willing to give me.

My fingers tightened in silken, golden curls, tugging them in my hands, as I seamlessly lured Jasper's tongue into my mouth, closing my lips around his wet muscle and sucking lightly, relishing in both how the Texan was letting me have complete control over him as well as the way Jasper scratched his nails down the sleek fabric of the dress shirt adorning my back all the while, almost as if begging critically for more from me.

"_...I love his taste...everything about him...the way his kisses just...kill me and make me whole at the same time..."_my inner musings breathed amiably across my already compromised senses, allowing me to not only experience Jasper but to wholly savor him for everything he was worth so I may drown pleasantly in how it made me feel to have his tongue in my mouth, his lips pressed firmly against my own, his whole heart a mere hairsbreadth away from me where all I would have had to do was reach out and take it.

I intended to do just that.

I smiled as I released Jasper's tongue from my lips, both of us knowingly tilting our heads towards opposite sides before our opened mouths were fused together once again, Jasper's hot, soft tongue meeting mine in another positively delectable swirl of our two muscles that nearly had me seeing stars behind my eyelids, loving how my steel-working Texan moved those strong, roughened hands of his down to my lower back until he could grip at either of my hips, keeping me close while I ravaged his mouth with my own.

I growled as I broke off our fiery, lustful kisses and nipped playfully at his bottom lip, loving the vision of Jasper with his eyes still closed and his cherry-red lips parted as he panted for precious air before me, as I hurriedly brought my hands down to the folds of Jasper's work shirt and shoved the thick, stained garment from his shoulders so that it fluttered haphazardly to the floor below.

"W-what...what are you doing...Edward...?" Jasper's question was breathed out of him in stuttered words as he watched me with half-lidded, cobalt eyes, his hands still resting on either side of my waist before I latched my fingers onto the bottom hem of his white undershirt, looking my angel squarely in his stunning face prior to offering my simple answer.

"...undressing you...I want to see all of you, baby..." I provided in a no-nonsense voice made lower from the immense longing and desire that was currently coursing through my veins and prompting my every movement, pausing in my words to Jasper as I expertly lifted his thin, pale shirt from his body, making him have to hurriedly raise his arms up so that the garment could be cleanly discarded, "...and then...I'm going to make love to you, Jasper."

"Edward, wait...ha..." Jasper voiced quickly before letting his curly head fall back against his front door with a quiet gasp as I immediately dropped down to my knees before him, letting my hands coast down the defined curves that contoured his perfect abdomen during my sensual descent of his body, my lips trailing down his lower abdomen all the while until I pressed them just above his belt line in a chaste, slow kiss.

Again and again, I placed deliberate, cherishing kisses to Jasper's trim stomach, sliding my tongue along some of the more pronounced lines of muscle there, while my fingers deftly unfastened and unzipped Jasper's pants at my chin, my mind barely processing any other thoughts than how utterly divine Jasper's warm, smooth flesh felt underneath my hands and lips, how staggeringly blissful he looked right now as he leaned his naked back and shoulders against the door behind him...and how much I wished to see him in all aspects of ecstasy before this night was over.

"_...there's no stopping now...I cannot wait another goddamn minute of my life...I love him...too much...I need to see him, taste him...know...everything there is to know...about Jasper...Hale...Whitlock,"_ my mind threw such a bold line of thought at me in the midst of my wanton haze, the prospect of completely ridding myself of my self-imposed solitude, something which I had grown to cling onto and rely on for so long, on this very night with him all but consuming my emotions; amplifying them a hundred-fold inside me as such profound meaning was not lost on me that I could not have even made it this far without Jasper.

"_...no one but Jasper..."_

My heart beating frantically inside my chest, every part of me excited to take this important step with the person I loved most and wished to be with, and hopefully, offer him the chance to heal as well, I lifted my emerald gaze up to meet Jasper's slightly worried expression, mixed with his apparent lust, that held my own, a conversation taking place within just the expressions in our eyes alone.

Jasper's clear-blue gaze was asking me questions, wanting to know why...not entirely certain about doing such things with me.

My gaze reassured him that I was absolutely certain about him...

And with that, I freed Jasper's rigid erection from his dark-grey boxers, my own eyes glazing over even more as I unconsciously licked my lips at the sight of Jasper's long, thick cock that was just as perfect as the rest of him, as I brought my parted lips to the very tip where I could see tiny beads of precome already gathered there in the midst of our mutual arousal.

Jasper's body was sin incarnate before me, every bit as tempting as the sugar-topped words the devil himself had offered to the the starving yet persevering Son, and it was this moment of finally seeing my beloved angel in all his wondrous, mind-breaking glory that I forgot who I was, forgot how slowly I had originally wanted to take things with this man, forgot...everything...but him...

"Do you have any idea what you do to me...just look at how fucking sexy you are..." I whispered my words in a timbre voice laced heavily with my overwhelming need for this man as I gingerly moved my lips across the top of the wide head, knowing that Jasper was watching me as I coated my lips with his smooth precome, committing to memory the earthy smell of his sex as I squeezed at his hips in my hands, "...I have to have you, Jasper..."

"...Ed...Edward..." Jasper panted out my name as he struggled with his labored breathing from above me, obviously loving and losing himself in my words of praise to him, before I took my time in parting my lips further so that the thick, spongy head of Jasper's gorgeous cock slipped easily into my warm mouth.

"...nnf..." Jasper voiced as he drew his bottom lip in between his white teeth, his hands resting on my shoulders as he kept his immaculate body still for me while I worked my mouth languidly down his entire length, letting inch after smoldering inch of his satin-wrapped cock slide deeper down my throat as I laved my tongue generously along the sensitive underside of his sex, wise to how the noises coming from my blonde-haired obsession would quicken the more I continued such provocative ministrations.

"_...Jesus...how long now have I wanted to do this to him...since the first time I saw him, that's when...my God..."_ my thoughts drawled dreamily to me, catching me in my own fantasies made impossibly real right this very moment as I swirled my tongue around his rigid, enticing flesh, pleasure vicariously worming its way into my own, drowned senses as I loved how I was the one able to make Jasper so wanton and irresistible.

"...haa...shit...Edward...God...feels so fucking good..."Jasper purred the words to me as I felt him wiggle his hips a little within my grasp, trying dearly to accommodate to the blood-igniting sensations currently tearing through his body in the most amazing of ways as I let his heavy cock almost completely slip from in between my lips that I squeezed around his flesh, trying in earnest to wring more of those filthy curses and sensual pleas from him.

"_...I love it...I love having his cock in my mouth..._ _I love hearing him moan my name...it's almost too_ _much...and yet it's still not enough..." _my surprisingly straight-forward thoughts spoke to me with such perfect clarity, fueling my restless, eager ministrations to Jasper's immaculate body as I tongued and suckled at his thick base, massaging the solid flesh there with just enough pressure that had my Texan groaning deep in his chest while I made sure that every inch of him was properly coated with my saliva before proceeding further.

Gradually, I brought my lips back to his leaking tip which I could not help but nip at wickedly as I lifted up my comfortably lowered gaze to seek out Jasper's face, seeing, at once, a desperate begging coupled seamlessly with his building passion that had glazed his eyes and flustered his cheeks, the red-hot ecstasy of having his throbbing erection played with beginning to crease his brow in a favorable manner, as I caught him delivering a purposefully seductive lick to his full, kissable lips.

I swallowed hard at such a forbidden image, captivated wholly by the sheer intensity behind it, before I hurriedly thrust my mouth down upon his long member once more, the need worthy of breaking a man completely present within me to see to Jasper's every pleasure, to grant him everything he wanted from me and more, as I began bobbing my head back and forth along his hot, dripping sex at a pace to which I knew he would absolutely come apart at the seams.

I hummed low in my throat around his throbbing length, as I brought a hand to take hold of the base, gripping him tightly and causing Jasper's breathing to catch once again, as I moved my mouth up and down his slick, rock-hard flesh, my actions pleading with him, begging him in the most dire of ways to moan louder for me, to feel even more time-stopping pleasure riddle throughout his body, to give himself completely to me...

A lovely, legato sound escaped Jasper as he moaned out to the otherwise quiet apartment the moment I had wrapped my fingers around him and began sliding my mouth over his delicious cock like a man with something to prove, as he mindlessly tangled his fingers in my asymmetrical locks of wild, bronze hair, his lean body arching as much as he could against his apartment door behind him, as I heard his words now directed towards the ceiling as he tipped his blonde head back while his fingers never ceased in their gentle, encouraging tugs to my hair.

I unabashedly reveled in how much it made my own warmed skin tingle having Jasper's fingers sift through my hair, his fingertips massaging my scalp, and causing me to groan in approval around his rapidly moving cock, all but shivering from the encouraging stimulation as he pulled on my cropped locks each time I took his whole cock back down my throat.

"Ohh...fuck, Edward...haa...yes...please...mmn..." Jasper's building ecstasy was clear and invigorating in his words to me, his body begging me even more than his candy-sweet pleas as I moved my free hand around to his muscular ass, gripping his supple flesh tightly and urging him to thrust into my mouth whilst I picked up my pace of sucking him off, loving every second of witnessing first-hand just how raw and beautiful Jasper truly was in the height of so much pleasure as he immediately took to using his hands in my hair as leverage to angle his thrusts.

My hand on his cock pumping furiously what I could not fit inside my mouth, I swallowed and swallowed again around his length, coaxing him to reach his ultimate climax at last as I continued to receive his quick, staccato thrusts in between my parted lips, my every sense fine-tuned to the frequency of Jasper's haggard breathing and desperate groans that signaled his staggering amounts of pleasure while I let him fuck my mouth as he pleased, the knowledge prominent and jittery inside my mind that my angel was reaching his limit.

"...holy shit, Edward...c-close...ohh...my God...you better...stop right now...I'm about to...!" Jasper warned me with strangled, crescendo-ed words lodged amongst his toppling, intoxicating moans, his curly head dropping back down from reclining against the door, as he hastily removed his hands from my hair, his thrusts having becoming wild and chasing nothing but pure ecstasy inside my moist cavern; his every action and fluid abandon to the overwhelming sensations I inflicted upon him resulting in my own cock pulsating ruthlessly inside my suit pants, my forfeited mind having been effortlessly overcome with the wonderful torture it was of seeing Jasper Whitlock like this.

"...mmhmm...mmh..." I hummed around his cock once more, both of my hands having eased back onto either of Jasper's warm, moving hips, feeling every cell of his body positively tremble as Jasper finally teetered over his vastly crumbling edge and allowed himself to experience his unbelievable release, now realizing that I had no intentions of letting up or moving away from him – I wanted to taste everything he had to offer...

"Haa...Edward...fuck...!"Jasper growled my name heatedly in his pronounced southern drawl, the effect of which going straight to my already uncomfortable, aching groin, as I moved my lips to the head of Jasper's swollen length just in time to feel the blonde-haired Texan shiver drastically against my hands and the door behind him while his cock erupted his warm, milky come into my accepting mouth, granting me that which I desired as I drank him down with greedy gulps that had him gasping shakily before me.

"Nng...shit..." Jasper murmured in long, drawn-out syllables as he panted for air, his god-like face completely serene with awe-stricken wonderment as he automatically brought one of his hands down to wrap around his cock, lazily stroking his now weakly spurting member as I lapped and swallowed around his head, suckling his sensitive flesh for every last drop of his salty, devastatingly real essence onto my tongue, before finally releasing him and slowly standing up to my full height in front of him.

Jasper's sapphire eyes were unfocused, his handsome features impossibly relaxed and void of any form of self-consciousness or need to guard himself as he continued to catch his breath, his shoulders slumped forward a bit, allowing me have a few inches over him so that I looked over his entire form with feral, unmistakable hunger present in my narrowed, emerald gaze.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered delicately as I helped a currently unthinking and dazed Whitlock even further out of his pants and boxers that now littered the floor along with his shirts before capturing both of his hands in mine and tugging him away from the door and down the single corridor that lead into the back rooms of his apartment, "...but I can't slow down...not this time..."

Jasper said nothing at first but I watched as he swallowed hard at my words as I walked us both to his bedroom, leaving the lights off in my smooth haste to direct him towards his blue and grey designed bed that accented the smoke-blue-painted walls well, along with the dark, wooden furniture that offered spots of natural, earth-toned hues to catch the eye.

"...because...I'm afraid that if I do..."I continued to voice my stream of consciousness as I laid Jasper on his large, exceptionally plaint mattress, looking over the many, intriguing curves and hard lines that made up his porcelain body with lingering, appreciative eyes before crawling partially over him, my hands already unfastening the small, black buttons adorning the front of my dress shirt, "...I might lose you..."

"...Edward..." Jasper said in a small, bedroom voice as he sat up to look me in the eyes, just as I shed my black, silk shirt and brought a hand to the back of Jasper's neck, driving my fingers through his messy curls that still glowed with their natural, bright color from the slivers of light that sneaked in from the illuminated hallway as both he and I remained sitting on his bed before one another, "...I...I don't know what to do...I've never been with a man before..."

I smiled at Jasper's confession, gently pulling him forward and placing a passionate, thankful kiss to his lips, before releasing my hold on him so that I may also remove my white wife-beater, my heart feeling impossibly touched by the significance of Jasper's words, the knowledge that I would be his first...and only man...meaning everything and the world to me.

Also, even though it was a blatant truth that I was, in fact, male, just simply hearing Jasper calling me a man...sent hundreds of white-hot sparks to flutter throughout my systems in an extraordinary euphoria, making me smiler broader at him, my heart agreeably lighter inside my chest, as I placed my hands down atop the mattress, urging Jasper to lie back down once more for me.

"Just do to me...what you know feels good to you, sweetheart..." I cooed the simple instructions before dipping my coppery head down towards Jasper's chest, bringing out my tongue and running it languidly over the rugged planes of hard-earned muscle there as I rested more and more of my weight on top of him, needing to feel his attractive body underneath my own.

"Ohh...Edward...mmm...you're killing me..."Jasper purred from my cotton-soft ministrations to his chest, letting his hay-wired body calm down a bit from his recent rush of ecstasy from before so that he may fully feel everything I wanted him to, as I ascended my parted lips and nose up from his chest to his graceful neck, biting softly at his vulnerable cords of sinew there that had his lithe frame writhing beneath me.

"...Jasper..." I breathed across my angel's elegant throat, the words burning inside my brain and tingling violently on my tongue to tell him that I loved him, that doing this with him meant so much to me, meant our liberation in which I wished to forge something unbreakable between us, as I breathed in his needy, lustful aura deeply before bringing my lips to place butterfly kisses to his cheek, his temple, his hair, his ear.

Then, just as I was about to continue my personal praise of his heavenly features, I felt Jasper carefully run his hands down my bare chest, his touches to my skin were intricately careful and decadently slow as his fingers mapped out every plane and line of muscle that formed my chest and sculpted down my abdomen; everything about the way Jasper let himself become familiar with my body being capable of setting my whole being into a simmering inferno of uncontrollable want, as I relished in how Jasper was accepting me as something to be desired, just as I him, before he hesitantly latched his fingers onto the hem of my pants.

"I still don't know about this, but...I do know that I like it when someone does this..." Jasper voiced quietly to me, as he began unfastening my expensive suit pants from around my waist and then began inching them down my hips so that I would get the hint and kick them away, his fingers sliding down either of my hipbones and causing me to shiver deliciously all the while.

"...mmm...what else, Jasper...what else do you like..."I posed the utterly suggestive words to my insatiable lover, admittedly eager to know how much affection and passion Jasper would be willing to let me tap into with him during such uncharted intimacy between us, as I successfully shimmied out of my pants that slipped off of the side of the bed and crumpled forgotten on the carpeted floor.

"...this..." Jasper provided simply before suddenly shoving his hands inside my black boxers, making the sleek material coast off of my hips and ass as well, as he instantly wrapped his long fingers around my pulsating erection, causing me to gasp sharply upon being gripped with so much sensational zeal.

I let out a throaty groan, voicing as much torment as there was pleasure to be had from having such a gorgeous creature touching me as he was, as the blonde-haired male began expertly thumbing at the smooth, moistened head of my cock, spreading the precome that had only started to drip down the slit and threaten to spill over onto the enflamed ridge; Jasper keeping his ocean-blue eyes locked straight into my burning, green ones, searching endlessly and fascinated by my every reaction whilst he steadily moved his fist up and down my twitching, pleading member.

"_...fuck me...he is absolutely playing with fire...doesn't he know how much I want to just tear him apart and fuck him until he can't move for weeks...God...so good, his hands on me...I can't fucking take much more..."_ my thoughts growled pointedly at me, warning me out-right that Jasper's teasing, experimental ministrations to my hyper-sensitive body were positively slaughtering what remained of my composure, my willingness to not scare him away by being too direct...just...like...how...I had wanted...

"_...I can't fucking help it...I love him too goddamn much..." _

And with no other thought passing through my shattered filters, I grasped either of Jasper's hands in my own and pinned them above his curly, blonde head against the overstuffed, grey pillows there, watching as his lovely eyes widened at the potentially frightening prospect of not being able to use his arms, as I brought my free hand to his rosy, plump lips and gently touched my fingertips to them.

"Open up, Jazz..." I cooed down to the stunning beauty below me, watching intently as Jasper complied with my demand and parted his lips, allowing me to slide a few of my digits inside his wet, addictive cavern, already feeling his soft tongue trace over my intruding fingers with attentive care.

"Jasper...I hope I'm not scaring you right now..." I ducked my head down to the crook of my angel's neck while I spoke more of my inner-most feelings to him, things that I knew I had never told to another, as I simultaneously removed my hand from holding down his wrists so that I could stretch a little off to the side towards the small, wooden table standing by his bed, blindly but not rushing my movements as I knowingly felt my way down to the metal knob of the single drawer, opened it, and then traced my fingers along the felt-covered inside until I closed my hand around a slender bottle and a familiar, foil package, before continuing,"...but I can't wait any longer...I'm about to fucking explode..."

Jasper briefly hummed against my fingers, making me feel even more inebriated with each pass of that skillful tongue against my fingers that moistened them with taunts of extraordinary, carnal pleasure that was only a heartbeat away, the knowledge of which sending sporadic jolts of exhilarating electricity to spike throughout my overheated body, slight bits of uncertainty present in his eyes to me as he realized I had sought out and retrieved his hidden vial of lubrication and a condom and was currently setting the items onto the mattress beside the both of us.

Gingerly, I eased my fingers out of his tempting, soul-shattering mouth, then pressed a deep, reassuring kiss to his lips, a kiss that clearly spoke of my undying need for him to continue to trust me, trust us, to not be frightened as I had mentioned because my very happiness with life was depending on everything this moment would mean to me.

"I need you to relax for me, baby..." I spoke the words to my unbelievable lover as I already began situating myself in between his spread legs, bringing my saliva-coated fingers to his puckered opening as I lowered my head to his stomach, eyes keenly holding one another as I took in just how remarkable Jasper looked lying naked and lustful across his bed, a quick nod of his head coupled with his expression that showed me that while he was still nervous, he was willing giving me this, all of him, was all I needed to see before I could literally feel all of my previous tension and slivers of worry...ebb away from my mind and soul.

I smiled softly at my Jasper before pressing my lips to his warmed flesh, placing kiss after sweet kiss to the solid ridges adorning Jasper's abdomen, aiming to distract him a little as I gently circled my moistened fingertips against his entrance, merely soothing the sensitive flesh there for a moment while I kissed my way back up to Jasper's panting mouth, claiming his lips with such force that perfectly mirrored the way most couples kiss after having not seen each other for days.

"Ahh...f-fucking...hell, Edward...ugh...!" Jasper mewled loudly as I suddenly eased my first finger all the way into his maddeningly hot channel, the Texan breaking off our fiery, delightfully crushing kiss to moan in response to the surprisingly stimulating sensations currently making his body bend backwards as he mindlessly wrapped his legs around my back and ground his hardened length into my lower abdomen.

"_...ohh...he is...so...so tight...oh my God...it's going to feel...unbelievable_ _inside of him..."_ my thoughts immediately registered such staggeringly intimate, sultry knowledge of him as I carefully worked my single digit in and out of his hot, writhing body, loving how I was now physically connected to the mysterious, captivating Texan factory worker at all, as I was able to feel exactly when Jasper would tense slightly with pleasure before relaxing his velvet-textured insides with every push I made that had my finger reaching deep inside of him.

My body quaked with raw, unbridled need above him, my eyes memorizing this very moment of Jasper breaking his own rules and finally experiencing something beyond anything he had ever known with me, as I mindfully pulled my finger out of his entrance, but only to add another that I shoved harder inside of him, now knowing that his body was ready to stretch further as I spread my digits wide inside of his gripping channel, my ministrations being instantly rewarded with seeing and hearing another of his high-pitched moans directed over our heads and towards the ceiling, as he squeezed his calves against my wide back all the while, his actions begging me to continued to push him, to do more, to do everything I wished...

Jasper suddenly threw his arms around my neck, slamming our lips back together, as he pulled me even more of me on top of him, making our bodies nearly blend together in a seamless joining of hopelessly smitten souls, before I curled my intruding fingers inside of his entrance, purposefully stretching him all the more for me and my engorged, throbbing member, as only the tips of my fingers were able to graze across his prostate, immediately making my honey-maned angel cry out with shocked, wide eyes at the amazing burst of pure, seductive ecstasy that had blazed through him.

"Oh my...fucking...God, Edward...do that again...please..."Jasper begged me with breathless words, his chest and abdomen grinding deliciously against my own as he kept his arms and legs wrapped around me, and I smiled at his words before obliging him in every way possible, pressing our swollen, parted mouths back together as I curled my fingers inside of him once more.

The blue-eyed male moaned strongly against my lips and tongue from having his prostate teased once more, his hold on me tightening all the more as I felt his powerful thighs tremble before adjusting their angle that they rested along my sides, the thought briefly but keenly occurring to me that he was now ready for all of me as I finally retracted my fingers from him and then grabbed the condom wrapper and brought it to my lips.

Jasper watched through half-lidded yet positively jubilant, fire-laden eyes as I used my teeth to tear open the tiny package and retrieve the condom mere inches away from him, every minute detail of the Texan's fine-edged arousal being wholly absorbed by me the whole time I rolled the condom down my length currently being cradled in between either of Jasper's creamy thighs; the way I could feel his chest heave against my own with his labored breathing, the way I could see it in his gorgeous eyes that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him... the way I had never felt more desired than now, being in his arms that he kept encircled securely around my neck and shoulders, as if totally determined to never let me go.

It was all too much.

He...was too much.

...and I could not have been more certain that he was whom I wished to spend the rest of life with.

"...it's going to feel weird at first, sweetheart..." I murmured the truthful statement to my dazed, seemingly entranced lover beneath me, feeling the warm puffs of his breath ghosting across my chin as he and I remained desperately, affectionately close to one another, my words lowly spoken and personal with him while I hurriedly retrieved the bottle of clear, warming lubrication, wasting no more time and pouring a generous amount along my hardened, aching member as well as Jasper's entrance, "...but just say the word, and I'll stop...I want this to be amazing for both of us..."

"...Ed...Edward..."Jasper's voice rose at the end of my name, another bout of mild worry edging its way into his tone as his eyes flickered between my face hovering above his own, and my hand in between our bodies, spreading the lube evenly along my cock with a few, firm strokes.

"Louder, baby..." I turned his nervous concern into something utterly wicked, a grin curving my lips at Jasper's lovely, porcelain features and shining blue eyes as I slowly moved my hips forward, my hand holding the wide head of my sex allowing me to perfectly direct my thick length into his glistening opening, which I could immediately feel give way the more I entered his heavenly body.

"Ugh...!" Jasper winced, his eyes shutting tightly as he grit his white teeth and moved his hands down to either of my shoulders, a gesture more defensive as my lover was quickly overcome with the initial pain of being penetrated for the first time, "...Edward...Jesus Christ...haa...stop...p-please...can't...nng...I can't fucking take it..."

"_...can't stop...I know I said that I would...but I don't think I can...please, please Jasper...this feels so damn good...I need this...I need you..."_ my thoughts instantly assaulted me upon hearing Jasper's growled words that had been spoken through his teeth, his fingers digging into the broad muscles of my shoulders as I continued easing inch after inch of my swollen member inside of his insatiably warm, addictive channel, able to feel massive amounts of sated euphoria already wash over my every fiber simply by being inside of him, feeling as if I could now know everything that was to know about this man at last.

"Jazz...mmh...it feels so fucking good inside of you...like melted honey squeezing my dick..." I purred the erotic words to a trembling, panting Jasper, noticing straight away that the more I spoke such delightfully filthy language to him, the more he seemed to relax around me which would ultimately bring him more pleasure than pain to be felt as we made love, "...I love it...being like this with you...fucking heaven, baby..."

My sex being fully sheathed inside of his slippery, textured channel, I planted my palms flat down upon the mattress beside his Jasper's curly head, my moss-green eyes boring intensely into the smallest of his expressions as I felt him trail his fingers down my arms, tracing over the various, long lines of lean muscle there as he gradually opened his eyes, his discomfort obviously fading away from his senses as I began building a steady, meticulous rhythm of sliding my cock in and out of his relaxing frame.

"That's its, baby...nnh...take all of it...every inch of my cock...ohh...God...do you feel how hard you make me, Jasper..." I growled the last of my heated words to my beloved, sex-inspiring factory worker, loving how I could feel his insides physically accepting more and more of my gentle, mindful thrusts as Jasper pawed at my arms pillared on either side of him, his breathtaking features beginning to smooth out as he parted those petal-soft lips of his and began softly moaning out his pleasure for me to hear.

"Haa...God, Edward...I never knew you had such a...mmn...ah...a dirty mouth on you..." Jasper commented with a sly, sexy smirk on his face but was quickly replaced with a sharp gasp followed by a throaty moan leaving him as he tipped his blonde head back against his pillows once I delivered a few, sharp thrusts inside of his sopping wet entrance that now effortlessly took all of my rigid length without any kind of resistance.

"The only mouth I want on me is yours..." I quipped back easily before capturing his alluring lips with my own, swallowing as many of his increasing moans in between our pressing, moving mouths and warm tongues that seemed to naturally seek out the other and mesh together, all of which providing candy-topped pleasure to sizzle throughout me and my already accumulating need to experience relief with him as I quickened the pace of my thrusts inside his quivering, moistened entrance.

"Ohh...oh my God, Edward...shit...!" Jasper's moans suddenly became much more vibrant, much more desperate and needy, all of him now being saturated in the finest of ecstasy as his mind and body welcomed everything I had to offer, as his beautiful lips broke away from my own and his hands latched onto my back, kneading the flexing muscles there with his long fingers before scratching down the defined contours of my shoulder blades.

"...ooh...I like it when you do that, Jazzy..." I whispered the words to Whitlock, craning my copper-colored head back as I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth, absolutely savoring just how exquisite it was to have Jasper claw at my back while he unabashedly lost himself in our shared arousal, my thrusts automatically becoming faster inside of his mind-warping entrance as I sought to bring us even more pleasure for our overwhelmed minds and bodies to absorb, needing to reach that peak with him.

"...fuck...Edward...m-more...ohh...I need more...!" Jasper's shouted, urgent words to me tingled all over my lightly damp skin in the most incredible of ways, prompting my movements before I truly had time to think about any of it, as I hastily brought my hands down to Jasper's hips and tore myself away from him, ignoring the look of pointed confusion that quickly crossed over Jasper's face.

Then, before either one of us could utter another word, I used my stern grip on Jasper's hips to help him flip over so that he may lie on his stomach on top of the mattress, a quiet 'oof' leaving Jasper's lips upon being handled with so much no-nonsense vigor as I narrowed my clouded, green eyes at the mildly shadowed sight of my glorious angel on his hands and knees before me, his lengthy curls looking absolutely wild and untamed as he presented me with an almost heart-stopping view of his perfect, firm ass and strong, scarred back.

"...you want more...then I'll give you more..." I spoke in a voice hardened by how much accumulated desire I had for this man, as I inched closer to his spread, positively delectable body and then slammed my begging member back inside his poised entrance, our new position allowing me to penetrated deep inside of him with every drive of my hips against his ass, easily hitting my lover's sweet spot each time I brought us closer together.

"Ahh...yes...!" Jasper wailed in shuddering surprise upon feeling the head of my cock pounding against his prostate, causing him indescribable satisfaction that edged closer and closer into something completely ethereal happening between the two of us, as he reached his hands forward underneath his silk pillows and pressed them flat against the wooden headboard of his bed, providing him with some leverage to push back into my already snapping, brutal thrusts inside of his entrance, "fuck me just like that, Edward...goddamn...haa...ahh...fuck yes...!"

Stabbing my member in and out of Jasper's stretching, writhing body at a wonderfully rapid pace that had my normal vision blotted with colorful stars, I lost myself in the soft wetness currently fluttering around my cock each time I struck my obsession's sweet spot, noticing that my Jasper's toe-curling cries were fusing together into one as our lovemaking had grown into an utterly natural movement between the two of us, his trim lower back bucking perfectly each time I drove my cock hard into him, filling him physically while the very act filled even more for me.

My body running into overdrive from such intense, raw lovemaking with my beautiful, scarred angel, my every system feeling as though it might implode at any given moment, I dipped my body down over Jasper's so that I may bring a hand to my lover's leaking member, taking hold of his begging length and stroking every inch of him with brazen passion whilst he and I continued our dance of his body melding and matching perfectly with mine.

"Ohh...feels so good...so fucking good, Edward...haa...I'm close...ahh...you're making me so damn close...!" Jasper called to me, his voice hoarse and laced with his white-hot pleasure as I could feel his rugged back trembling against my chest as I used my hand still holding onto his hip to pull him back to meet my thrusts again and again, my movements becoming harder still inside his body as I felt my own cock swell even more by his words and the sensations thereof, my eyes rolling into the back of my head in extreme, incomprehensible pleasure upon feeling Jasper wantonly grind his ass back against my groin with every snap forward I made.

"Holy shit, Jasper..." the words left me in a single breath, my fist frantically pumping up and down Jasper's long member, my fingers squeezing at his moist, throbbing tip as I practically begged Jasper to come for me with my actions alone, before bringing my lips to one of his shoulders and whispering, "...let me see you come...I want to see you come all over this fucking bed, Jasper Whitlock...come with me, baby...now..."

"Yes...yes...Christ, Edward...yes...!" Jasper hollered, his husky, southern tone increasing in volume the more he verbalized his pleasure for me to hear, as I felt him suddenly tense beneath me, allowing me to slam my cock into his opening without any care for concern in this one, mind-blowing moment in which I only somewhat was able to realize that Jasper was screaming my name as he erupted his sticky, creamy come all over my stroking hand, covering my digits in jagged lines of his liquid warmth.

It felt like my body was not my own, as if I was having some sort of otherworldly experience where my vision left me for a solid minute before returning full-force where every one of my senses was impossibly heightened, allowing me to feel every, smoldering inch of Jasper's insides clench around my intruding member as the tall, fiery Texan panted his pleasure while I continued to milk him for every, single drop of his pearly essence before following after him.

"Jazz...Jasper...shit...I'm coming, baby...I'm coming..." my rose-petal lips formed the words I breathed to him all on their own, as I straightened back up so that I was properly kneeling once more, my hips ramming inside Jasper's entrance before I stilled for only a fraction of a second while my first wave of euphoria crashed over me with so much commanding force that I somehow briefly wondered if I was becoming a new man.

"Mmn...sweetheart...Jesus..." I murmured lazily, dense, wonderful fog clouding everything for me at the moment as I subtly slid my spurting cock in and out of Jasper's acutely sated channel, my light thrusts inside him only serving to prolong my time with being one with something far greater and more powerful than anything on earth I had ever found, my breath coming in short pants for precious air as I began to feel every thrust and movement and effort I had made suddenly come crashing down on my whole self.

My unseeing eyes directed somewhere towards the top of the wall behind Jasper's mussed up bed, I slowly slid my gaze down upon seeing in my peripheral vision as Jasper attempted to push himself up from the pillows, but only to make an adorable little grunt sound and fall right back down on top of his sheets.

I smiled as how utterly relaxed and boneless Jasper appeared to be, not even willing or able to move away from where he lie right now, as I carefully retracted my softening member from his body and then collected the filled condom in between my thumb and forefinger, dropping the drenched, used item into the small wastebasket located in front of the similarly colored bedside table from which it had come.

"...Jasper...?" I asked as my tired, pleased smiled continued to grow, the thought quickly shooting through my severely pleasant mind that I had never felt this level of completeness and the strange but overwhelming notion that everything was truly right in the world and with me for once, as I gingerly leaned over his form, peering into his upturned profile and curly locks of wheat-colored hair that framed his angelic face.

"...you were right...that did feel weird at first," Jasper commented cheekily with a grin of his own, his words making me laugh as I rolled my eyes and then drew closer to him still, close enough to begin planting loving, appreciative kisses to his cheek and nose and then the corner of his lips.

"And...what about after that...?" I asked smartly, having just witnessed first-hand just how much my witty lover had absolutely given himself over completely to me before screaming my name at the height of his unspeakable pleasure.

Jasper smiled even broader as he succeeded in hoisting up his chest from the mattress as he rested on his forearms and cast me an affectionate, sideways look.

"...I loved it, actually...being with you like that..." Jasper confessed solemnly, making my heart skip a beat inside my chest from such a declaration, one that had my post-sex state suddenly colored with lovely, rich shades across my heart and soul, as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and nuzzled my nose into his soft curls, before the Texan continued speaking in between his chuckles,"...you uh...you turn into a something else when you have sex...like a whole, 'nother person."

I blushed at his comment, knowing exactly what he had meant by it, as I smiled and turned more of my face into his textured, golden locks before speaking a reply.

"What can I say? I guess you just bring it out of me..." I said around my huge grin before dipping my head down low to run my bottom lip across the back of Jasper's shoulder, absolutely in love with just how utterly unperturbed and in such a state of blissful peace with the world that Jasper seemed to be, as I placed a slow, chaste kiss to his warm flesh.

"Is it always going to be that uh...intense...? Because...wow..." Jasper asked such a bold yet wholly curious question of me, his pleasantly accented voice feeling just as smooth against my skin as the rumpled, comfortable sheets beneath us as I continued to rest most of my weight along his back and shoulders, both of us idly looking at the collection of pillows that cluttered in front of the wooden headboard of the bed, both of us enveloped by pure, undaunted tranquility with one another where no question or comment was off-limits, nothing was meant to be taken too seriously.

I smirked warmly at Jasper's profile, merely watching him for a second as he continued to support both of our upper torsos on his folded forearms, as I kept my chest pressed against his back and chin atop his shoulder all the while, fully grateful that he and I were able to be like this so soon with each other, and I could not help the thought that consequently sprang to mind.

"_Maybe...I really am fixing him...maybe...he and I were what the other needed all along...all this __time...maybe I can make him happy again..."_

"...I hope so," I spoke the words quietly, blinking at Jasper's lovely features so close to my own, the mental images vividly flashing across my mind's eye about the first time I had seen his saddened, captivating eyes and hair the color of molten sunlight that had instantly brightened up the whole city, my whole life...now feeling the satisfaction that that man was in my arms right now with peace in his features now, as he and I talked openly about our future together.

"Yeah..." Jasper breathed the single word, trailing off as he blinked at nothing in particular as well, before suddenly licking at his drying lips and saying, "...oh, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I smelled something cooking when I first got it...did you...uh..."

"Dinner is already done and waiting for us, sweetheart," I smiled once again at Jasper's bashful antics of asking me if I had prepared something for us to eat, leaning forward a bit more so that I could kiss his cheek before continuing, "...I hope you like pasta and vodka sauce."

As tired as he, no doubt, had to have been, Jasper's whole aura seemed to illuminate with even more contentedness, spiced with his already natural radiance, as he lifted his eyebrows a little and then said, "Oh...yeah...I sure do. But, there's just one thing, Edward..."

I quirked up an eyebrow at the downtrodden way he had ended his last sentence to me, my bronze head tilting a little bit to a side as I regarded him carefully, part of me beginning to fear whatever it was that he had to say...some stipulation, perhaps...?

"What's that, Jasper?" I asked at once, using his given name as I eyed the way my blonde-haired savior dropped his gaze to the mattress at his hands, making some of his disheveled curls fall away from his shoulders and down to frame around his face.

"...I think I might need you to uh...get me...a...plate...I can't exactly...move too well yet," Jasper admitted with painful shy words, all of which only making my heart leap with astounding joy inside my chest as I quickly hugged him tightly to me, ignoring the subtle 'ow' that escaped him as I squeezed his back and shoulders to me in a crushing embrace.

"Jazz...anything you want...all you have to do is ask, baby...do you hear me?" I spoke with unmistakable glee in my voice as I gave his athletic but currently sore body once last, extra squeeze, before making sure that he was lying comfortably amongst his pillows and comforter once more, observing the way he was grinning with just as much carefree happiness as I was, as he nestled his curly, blonde head on top of one of the smaller, blue pillows, watching me with shining, cobalt eyes all the while, "...I'll give you anything you want."

_Author's Note: _Yep. This took forever to write, with my crazy work schedule and the holidays and all. Anywho, drop me a line and let me know what you think, yes? Super fantastical twist is coming up!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Edward's POV_

Twenty-six nights later...

"Edward...?" my beautiful, blonde-haired lover whispered to me, his single-spoken word having been breathed across my bare chest as I continued to lie back against the many pillows adorning the front of my almond and chocolate-brown designed bed with Jasper sprawled out comfortably on top of me, the latter resting his naked body on top of mine instead of my king-sized mattress, much to my personal delight.

"Hmm?" I hummed my comfortably exhausted reply back to him as I carded one set of my fingers through his shaggy, light-colored hair, enjoying and drawing peace from the way the soft locks would straightened as they passed in between my digits but only to bounce back into its naturally curly texture before I repeated the process all over again.

Such stillness there was in this moment, and I knew that he and I were both lost in its wonderful simplicity; the effortless way he and I soothed each other merely by being there was an embrace all by itself as our two bodies seemed melded together in glorious spent passion and lingering affection.

"I'm really happy...being here, with you..." Jasper finished his dreamy thought to me, his quiet, accented tone sounding like lightly falling water inside of the darkened, yet extraordinary master bedroom of my home, as Jasper sighed out the rest of his air contently and pressed more of his lovely face into my chest.

I smiled down at him, taking in the sight of Jasper breathing tranquilly on top of me, his eyes closed and his arms loosely wrapped around my sides as he returned my embrace, the both of us inexplicably serene lying on my bed like this, speaking candy-sweet revelations to each other in hushed tones after just having made love.

My tired eyes lazily roamed over the halo of honey curls that framed Jasper's cheeks and brow as my thoughts began to pleasantly recall the events that had happened earlier that day, remembering just how such tangible, earth-bound heaven had come to be and had lead right up to this moment.

"_So, what time would you want to come over?"_ I had asked Jasper over the telephone earlier that afternoon, having been wise to the knowledge that he had had this day off of work and that he needed to finally see my house, having only managed to convinced him of doing just that upon offering to cook dinner for the both of us.

"_Mm...well, uh...I guess I can be there in a little while._ _I have to run a couple errands first..."_ Jasper had responded, his contemplative words having pleased me to no end that he would, in fact, be coming over to my house for the first time, thereby allowing himself to be a little closer to my side of life and that he was willing to seek me out as well and not just keep our relationship bound to his own comfort zones.

"_Sounds great, Jazz...I'll see you in a little bit then..."_ I had spoken into the receiver with a bright smile, before having hurriedly added, _"...oh, and could you please pick up some wine on your way over here?"_

"_Uh-oh...you plan on getting me drunk...?" _Jasper had asked me with a smile evident within his smoky tone as well, the affect of which having made my heart leap in a merry jolt inside my chest, as I had chuckled at how positively cheeky Jasper could be when he wanted to.

"_Perhaps...it couldn't hurt my chances, right...?"_ I had bantered right back, appreciating the good-natured laugh from him that had followed before the both of us had exchanged our respective 'good-byes' and then hung up.

I had bustled around my spacious, two-story home like a madman, cleaning dishes, dusting bookshelves, and trying to figure out what I could make for us to eat.

It had taken no time at all to realize that I did not have that much food in the house.

Fortunately, I had had just the idea on how I would solve said problem.

A few hours later, Jasper had arrived, a soft red wine in hand, and I had felt myself positively radiate my extreme happiness as I had shown him around my house, one of my arms having been wrapped around his waist as I had taken my time navigating from room to room, pointing out the various color schemes and the few prized possessions I had that accented the space.

Jasper had seemed in awe the whole time I had shown him around, his mouth having been left open like a young child seeing his backyard covered in snow for the first time, as he had taken in my modern-looking, black and white living room and matching kitchen, the baby grand piano located in the den on the first floor that sat next to the large, floor-reaching windows that offered impeccable light and ambiance, and my lengthy master bedroom colored in natural brown and earth tones that could immediately sooth any trouble the world posed.

I had secretly loved seeing Jasper so taken aback, knowing that he had been impressed by my living arrangements, and it was after he and I had settled on my corner-wrapping black sofa that I had confessed with a smirk that I had had no real dinners in the house to make for us.

"_So, I was wondering...are you in the mood for classic Italian?"_ I had asked with a growing smile, eying him particularly keenly as he sat there next to me, both of us leaning towards each other whilst we had spoke and shared little stories and jokes, his heart-stopping smile having never left his face as he had replied.

"_Well, I suppose...were you wanting to go out?"_ Jasper had answered before posing his question to me with a sexy quirk of an eyebrow, the handsome Texan in my living room unknowingly sending thousands of sensual thoughts to suddenly bombard me from the curious, expectant expression that had crossed his heavenly features in the process.

Images of me rushing towards him and ripping off his black, V-neck shirt right from his body, pushing him back onto the couch and straddling his hips so I may grind our growing erections together until he begged me for more, nearly violently assaulted my mind, having made a tiny shiver course its way up and down my spine like sparkling water.

My glinting eyes had narrowed at such a seemingly innocent gesture before I had to clear my throat so I may stay focused, willing away those thoughts for the time being, and deliver my surprising news.

"_Nope._ _I was thinking that I could order us some food from this place I know...the place I was in when I first saw you, that is..."_ I had finished my unveiling thought, blinking my patient eyes at the way both of Jasper's eyebrows had shot up upon hearing my words.

"_You...were in a restaurant when you saw me?_ _Weird...who were...uh...with?"_ Jasper had struggled to ask me, having blinked his stunning, ocean-blue eyes down to his jean-clad lap for only a short second before lifting them up and searching mine out indefinitely.

I had smiled gently at the way Jasper was trying to be a little nosy, having felt absolutely touched by such concern that I might have been with another man on a date at the time, as his insecurity about such a thing had brought both endearment and amazement for me to feel.

"_I was with my sister, Alice,"_ I had replied without missing a beat, still offering my crooked smile to the blonde-haired man before me, as I had watched as the small amount of tension around his mouth had instantly vanished, before I had continued, _"...I would...really like you to meet her someday, Jazz."_

"_Oh...um..."_ Jasper had murmured shyly, lowering his eyes once more as he had seemed to be searching for an appropriate answer, having perhaps felt a bit put-on-the-spot as I had brought up the prospect of him meeting my family, a significant step to take in any relationship, _"...yeah, one day...I will."_

My whole face had brightened up before I had reached a hand into the breast pocket of my dark-grey vest that I had had on over my white, short-sleeve shirt, my fingers having deftly retrieved my cell phone to place the call to the downtown Italian restaurant, the same one that had played a particularly large part in changing my life forever.

"_You're going to love their lasagna..."_ I had commented before hitting the speed-dial to reach the quaint restaurant and place our order, my lips having been unable to help but smile at the way Jasper had seemed to perk up with a small grin of his own at me.

Later that evening, after having had a wonderful, tasty dinner filled with positive comments about the food and curious questions about the time I had been inside the restaurant and had seen him, our time together had progressed beautifully.

"_I was wondering, Edward...would you...play your piano for me...?"_ Jasper had asked me, blinking those sapphire orbs of his right into my steady emerald gaze and nearly stealing my heart right out of my chest from such a request to which I had easily obliged.

Taking our wine glasses into the den area, Jasper had perched on top of one of the leather-cushioned bar stools that sat near the small, polished wood bar table, his long, lean body looking remarkable as he had sipped his red wine and watched as I took my place at the sleek, sophisticated piano, my hands having already known what I had felt like playing for him.

I had watched in substantial glee as Jasper had closed his eyes and laughed out loud, a hearty, jovial sound tinged with his natural accent that had reverberated right through me, as I had begun keying a slow, bluesy version of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' with a serious expression on my face all the while.

After my joke had succeeded in bringing out those adorable, sexy dimples on my Jasper's face, I had switched to playing classical Beethoven, having known that he would recognize the piece as I pressed the dramatic notes, fusing the dark, demanding chords with the symphonic melodies that rang out in pleasant waves above all else and immediately filled the entire house with encumbering solace.

I had finished the piece and opened my eyes I had not realized I had closed at the time, only to have looked up and witnessed Jasper peering directly at me, barely blinking, his wine forgotten in his hands, as he had murmured a barely audibly '...wow' before a grin began curving his rose-petal lips.

Shortly after that, he and I had both decided to wash the dishes we had used during our meal, Jasper and myself working side by side in my spacious kitchen, whilst we had continued chatting about random topics, truly whatever had popped into our minds at the time, and I had been so unconsciously pleased that my beloved Texan had taken so keenly to being comfortable inside my home with me, almost as if he and I had been doing such things with each other for years.

However, it had been after the dishes had been cleaned and the last of the wine drained by the alluring factory worker, that Jasper had seemed to let loose whatever feelings and urges he must have kept hidden up until then, for, once he and I had vacated to the couches once more, Jasper, in a blur of fluid, rushed movements, had wordlessly pulled me close and crushed our red, satin lips together.

He had tasted of the light, sweet wine he had consumed, as he had fisted my vest in his hands, his soft, delicious tongue swirling seductively with my own, begging me without words from how much unrestrained passion there had been as his petal-soft lips and tongue had sought me out again and again as he had kept me close.

Jasper had smoothly slid onto my lap, having released his hold on my clothes but only so he may latch his hands onto his own dark-colored shirt and hoist the garment right off of his immaculate body, making our red-hot kisses come to an abrupt end as he had sat up straight on top of my thighs and undressed.

I had moaned at the sight of Jasper being so reckless in showing his absolutely breathtaking body to me, my hands having automatically begun unzipping his jeans as he had promptly leaned down and peppered my cheeks and mouth with sugar-sweet kisses and licks.

"_Take me to bed, Edward..."_ Jasper's unbroken voice had purred to me, making me tremble from the magnificent force of it before I had captured one of his nipples in between my lips, suckling at the small bud of sensitive flesh as I had hummed in response.

Jasper had instantly arched his back from receiving such electric, tantalizing pleasure to his body that merely served to tease him with the prospects of receiving more, my hands having found their way to his firm ass as I had tongued and kissed my way across his exposed chest so I could perform the same torturous ministrations to his other nipple, having listened intently the whole time as Jasper had gasped with bated breath and pawed at my shoulders.

"_Mmn...please, Edward...you don't need to do any more...I already need you...so bad..."_ Jasper had panted the sinfully decadent words that had immediately sent jagged lightening bolts of brilliant, mind-consuming euphoria to rupture and reach far into me, those words having been exactly what I had craved to hear from him for the passed month.

I had felt how hard he was for me, my own erection having become painfully demanding from how satisfyingly intense the moment had become between us as well, me having been made utterly hopelessly entranced in the midst of Jasper Whitlock having truly and genuinely begged for my touches and sex, and it had been with eager vigor that I had used my hold on Jasper's ass to suddenly lift us both up from the couch; Jasper having quickly wrapped his long, toned legs around me so that he could be carried easier, before I had knowingly begun walking us both towards the stairs, every living cell within me positively dying to fulfill Jasper's request.

Jasper had purred and mewled in my arms as I had carefully carried him up the stairs, his kisses never ceasing along my neck and the tops of my shoulders, all of which having ushered in sizzling tinges of haze-inducing pleasure to riddle through me, as he had pressed his chest hard against my own; his needy, little hints for attention all but killing me softly as I had struggled to concentrate on not faltering in my steps as I had brought us both up to the second level of my home and, consequently, inside my lavish, expertly coordinated bedroom.

Then, before I had had a chance to take another step forward, Jasper had slid his legs out of my grasp, having spared only a tiny, fire-igniting second to cast his sexy smirk my way, before he had pushed me back until I had had no choice but to sit down on top of my cloud-like, dark-brown duvet.

"_Jazz..."_ I had whined in a throaty voice, having been unable to hide my own excited yet awe-stricken state as the Texan had begun slipping out of his own jeans with slow, sensual movements of his god-like body before me, his actions having wholly prompted me to just about tear my vest and T-shirt off of my frame as well so that I could catch up to him.

Having seen that I was also furiously ridding myself of my clothes as if they had been on fire, Jasper had swiftly knelt down on the carpeted floor before me, having swept his sultry, smoky eyes over my lips and face, his quiet confidence having been absolutely beautiful to me, enticing to watch, as he had trailed his hands up either of my clothed thighs from his position.

"_Holy shit, Jazz..."_ I had growled mindlessly to my extraordinary blonde-haired lover kneeling before me, looking as if he could have devoured me on the spot, as he had licked his tempting lips whilst he had listened to my strained whispers, _"...baby...please..."_

Jasper had smirked once more at me from behind his sunlight-colored curls, his hands having already successfully inched down my black pants until my pulsating erection had sprung free, before the statuesque beauty perched miraculously at my feet had closed his soul-breaking mouth around the wide head of my cock, having immediately taken to making small licks and presses of his lips to the highly-receptive flesh there.

I had panted my unspeakable pleasure from experiencing such cotton-soft ministrations that threatened my personal restraints as a civilized man, writhing as much as I could whilst having still been seated in front of him, as I had felt my mind contently shut down, disregarding all else in a manner most desirable and provocative, everything about the way Jasper tongued and kissed along my length having been excruciatingly arousing, as I had utterly lost myself in the scorching hot passion in which Jasper had immersed us both.

However, just when my gasps and groans of pleasure had been only a millisecond away from turning into full-blown, breathless pleas for much more from this man, Jasper had slid his luscious lips and tongue away from my member, having left me throbbing and nearly crazed with delicious lust, as the sexy Texan had then stood up from his spot with a torturous grin curving his glistening lips.

I had growled loudly before hurriedly latching my hands around Jasper's waist and yanking his lean form down on top of my own, my jade-colored eyes having been absolutely smoldering as I had glared dangerously at my blonde-haired angel whilst moving the both of us further up along the mattress, having ruffled a great portion of the thick, silken sheets and few pillows in the process.

"_Did you like that...?"_ Jasper had asked me with playful, sugar-topped words whilst he had obliged me in climbing on top of my legs, straddling me perfectly whilst I had reclined my back against the tall, cushioned headboard of my bed, still holding onto him as if I needed to bury myself into the very depths of his being...having indeed craved to do something so intense and permanent with him at this moment.

"_Are you kidding...I can barely think straight, Jasper...you really..."_ I had confessed to my blue-eyed lover as I had brought a hand to the curve of his ass and began slowly pushing a single digit inside of his entrance, my other hand holding him still, _"...everything you do makes me lose my fucking mind..."_

Jasper had smiled at my caressing words before tossing his wavy, blonde head back in a blissfully sensual moan as he had felt me insert another finger into his opening, my actions having stretched him while both of us had remained melded together as I had drowned in the way he would grind his cock into my lower abdomen while I worked, the way his shoulders had trembled against my own whilst I pressed further and further inside his body.

"_Edward...God..."_ Jasper had panted to me, practically making love to my name with the way he had pronounced it in his southern drawl fogged over with his evident, carnal need, my scissoring fingers having caused my lover to pause in his words to me as he had gripped me even tighter with his thighs before raising his ass a little more off of my lap, _"...I'm ready for you...please slide that huge cock of yours inside me..."_

I had moaned with a pained expression on my face at Jasper's words, my very soul having felt their raw power and eroticism right down to my essential core as a functioning human being, before I had pulled my moistened fingers out of Jasper's entrance so I may wrap my hands around either of his narrow hips, and then slam his warm, willing body down on top of my absurdly engorged member.

I had barely heard it when my striking, extraordinary lover had screamed his pleasure for all who occupied the heavens to hear as he had immediately began bucking his hips wildly on top of my lap, allowing me to manipulate his ass however I chose so that his hot, textured insides stroked over my naked member in such a way that had my blood sparking with colorful tinges of fire throughout my veins before rushing all at once so that the only thing I could have even hoped to have realized was how unbelievable it felt to be connected to Jasper like this.

I had chanted his name just as he had with mine, my need to fuse myself with this man all but controlling my every frantic movement as I had taken to pounding my throbbing length inside of his tight channel, having been encouraged each time my Jasper's lovely, scarred body had shaken with pleasure and arched backwards in my arms whilst the most life-saving, mind-breaking words had escaped his gorgeous mouth.

"_Oh my God, baby...don't stop...don't stop...ahh...!"_ Jasper had moaned against my mouth in between another one of our fierce, fire-laden kisses that had only served to act as a sultry catalyst to my already toppling amounts of severe pleasure, before he had our lips crushed back together, Jasper's athletic form bouncing up and down my straining cock as he and I had strove to be as close to one another as possible.

Even though our chests had been firmly pressed together, grinding almost as ferociously as my hips against the supple curves of his ass and thighs, Jasper and I had continued to cling tighter to one another, having needed to be even more involved with the other and to feel as much as possible of the other as we made love like this, in each others' arms and able to know their own pleasure as something to be tapped into and harnessed for our own.

I had only barely managed to hum in cherishing approval of the sinfully sweet words that Jasper had spoken to me, his strong, toned arms having wrapped around my back as he had clawed at my shoulder blades whilst we had continued kissing heatedly, greedily during our lovemaking – just like he had known would result in my inevitable undoing as I had absolutely savored the taste of him on my tongue, the feel of him wrapped around my body and soul, the binding energy behind every one of his scratches going down my back.

"_...mmh...haa...Ed...Edward...ohhh..."_the tall, sweating Texan had attempted to speak to me in the midst of his overwhelming ecstasy once more, his rosy lips having been a mere kiss away from my own as he cast his lovely, cobalt gaze directly onto mine, a few, shorter curls of his hair having been strewn across his smooth forehead, as Jasper had freed one of his hands and brought it down in between our moving, grinding bodies so he may grasp his own leaking member, _"...I'm close...I want you to come inside me...let me feel you..."_

"_Jasper...Jesus Christ..."_ I had growled in between my grit teeth, his unbearably seductive words having proven far and wide of being the end of me, as I had quickly captured my bottom lip in between my white teeth, the offer impossibly tempting as I had felt the moist fluttering of Jasper's velvet insides squeeze around me, coaxing me in the most maddening of ways to give into everything I wished and wanted from this man.

Having seen that I had been indeed teetering on the hazy-edged brink of reaching a devastatingly intense orgasm, Jasper had pumped his own member furiously in his grip in between the both of our rutting, chasing bodies, his hoarse moans having increased and become even more detrimental to my oncoming release as I had briefly watched him squeeze his fingers around his own enflamed head, before I had then felt my lover lean forward and catch a generous portion of the side of my neck in between his sharp, perfect teeth.

"_Ahh!_ _Fuck, Jasper...baby, I'm coming...ohh...fucking hell...coming right now..."_ I had gasped the breathless words to my blonde-haired angel upon feeling Jasper savagely mark me as his own, as his equal and his lover, as I had felt my insatiable cock harden even more for only a moment longer before quickly erupting my warm essence from the tip, the bold statement of erotic pain that had been inflicted upon my overly-sensitive body having no doubt been the cause for such a staggering, uncontrollable experience.

"_..ohh...fuck yes, Edward...feels amazing..."_ Jasper had trembled against my body cradling his own one last time, my heavy-feeling eyes having become mesmerized with seeing just how my southern-born lover had parted his lips upon feeling my spurting cock coating his entrance as I had continued thrusting inside of him, as he had pumped his own cock faster until he had come as well in streaming, pearly ribbons that had splashed along the solid ridges of my chest and stomach.

This night had easily been one of the most erotic of my life, and, even at that moment of the both of us panting to try to catch our breath as we had simply relaxed against one another in the ethereally peace and comfort of our after-glow, I could barely wrap my mind around the fact that it had all been with the most beautiful, intelligent man I had ever known.

Maybe I had somehow known from the very first time I had seen him that he would be the one to make me feel like this...

Perhaps I had known it all along that I was in love, and that it had only been a matter of finding Jasper Hale Whitlock from the crowd so that it could be so...

Maybe...my life could also be one that was filled with lasting happiness and purpose...where I had someone to live for and that someone would also live for me...

Now, in this moment, as I lie here in my bed with Jasper still resting languidly on top of me after our spectacular bout of lovemaking, I could not help but smile once more at the blonde curls currently tickling my chest and arm, my recollections of just how our evening together had been spent ending contently inside my head like an inspiring movie that only I could see.

I loved how he was wordlessly agreeing to stay the night with me by falling asleep in my bed like this.

I loved how our time together this day had been perfect.

I loved how...finally my life, now that my beloved Jasper was an incredibly large part of it...could also be perfect.

I loved how I finally felt like I could do anything...as long as I had him by my side.

_Author's Note:_ Was THAT the twist I've been going on about? Nope! XD It shall be in the next chapter! kukuku... Thanks, fans.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_Edward's POV_

Six days later...

"Leaving early again, Edward?" asked my cheery, good-natured co-worker Mike Newton as he poked his smiling face inside my office, just as I had stood up to gather some of the documents lying across my desk and file them away in my leather briefcase.

"Yep. It is Friday, after all," I provided with a polite smile of my own as I finished packing up my supplies that I knew I would need later, clicked the briefcase shut, and then stepped aside my desk.

It had become generally known amongst my colleagues that I now left midday on Fridays, opting to conclude working on the financial portfolios I had from home, a flexible change in my work schedule to which Mrs. Esme Evenson had readily agreed whence I had asked nearly four weeks ago.

In actuality, for me, leaving work at noon on Friday meant that I could take Jasper to lunch and spend some time with him before his shift was done at the factory, something that both he and I looked forward to each week.

"Thank God for that," Mike quipped right back, his quirky smile still in place as he gave the door frame a few pats with his hand and then said, "...alrighty then...have a good weekend, Ed!"

I rolled my eyes at the shortened version of my name, unable to help the small chuckle that escaped me from Mike's typically goofy nature, something which ultimately made him extremely likable as a co-worker and friend in the workplace.

"Will do, and you do the same, okay?" I said as I picked up my briefcase from my desk and straightened my navy-blue tie, the tie that I had admittedly purchased recently because it had reminded me of the exact color of Jasper's gorgeous eyes.

"Sure thing, man! See you Monday..." Mike waved as he continued walking down the row of offices that were kept separate from the many, maze-like cubicles that clustered the bulk of the spacious floors of the company and also formed the main walkways and aisles by which one can navigate around the various sections.

Sucking in a bit more breath into my lungs, I tightened my grip on the handle of my briefcase before stepping to the door of my office, stopping to quickly shut off the lights and lock up, having been mentally ready to do exactly what I was now doing since I had first arrived at the company this morning, as thoughts of the drive to Jasper's factory, the food that I was planning on buying the two of us, and just being able to see his beautiful face had filled my head the entire morning.

Striding out of the office, delivering a courteous wave to another co-worker sitting at her cubicle, a tune suddenly sprang to mind as I exited the floor and navigated directly into one of the oak and gold-colored elevators.

_What a day it has been_

_What a rare mood I'm in_

_Why, it's almost like being in love_

_There's a smile on my face_

_For the whole human race_

_Why, it's almost like being in love_

I laughed quietly to myself, at myself, as the famous musical number repeated over and over in my mind, complete with the accompanying orchestra notes that strummed along with the jovial tune, as I shifted my weight on my feet as I rode the elevator down several levels of the company.

I felt cheesy and boyish, happy in every way to be heading towards the one thing that I treasured more than life itself.

"_Who am I kidding..."_ I thoughtfully checked myself, solemnly lowering my eyes and smirking softly as my mental musing spoke for me, _"...Jasper is my life."_

"_I'm telling him today...today is the day. I need to...he needs to know exactly how I feel about him, about us...today, when I see him...I'm telling him that I love him."_

X

After the familiar drive across town, I parked my Volvo in a designated 'visitor' space in the vast lot that wrapped around most of the steel factory, before reaching into the passenger seat and picking up the plastic bag filled with the Chinese food I knew to be Jasper's favorite.

I smirked as I stepped out of my car, but instantly furrowed my eyebrows together as I felt a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something had physically dropped inside me once I smelled the crisp, cooling air of the late afternoon, felt it pull through me as if something somewhere...was trying to warn me.

Confused and more than perturbed by my icy, foreboding feeling, I took a hesitant step away from my car, my jade-colored eyes roaming up and down the blank, grey sides of the steel-working facility, the few trees that dotted every dozen or so parking spaces, and the darkening blue sky up above that appeared too crowded with puffy clouds.

_Bam!_

_Whap_!

Halting in my steps towards the front entrance of the factory, I spun around in my spot and hustled around my vehicle facing the opposite direction, the food forgotten in my hands and I strained my ears so I may hear another noise come from that area.

"_What the hell is going on...I don't like this..."_ I thought quietly to myself as I began navigating away from my Volvo in favor of heading towards the rear of the facility, _"...this has to be where there they __get shipments...maybe...maybe some guys are just having some trouble with their truck or something..."_

_Thunk!_

"_Urg...goddamnit...come on, you fucking pussies!"_

I stopped dead in my tracks, having almost rounded the corner of the parking lot on foot as my mind now shut down completely from what I had just heard as clear as day.

"_That was Jasper!"_ I internally panicked before breaking into a full sprint across the parking lot and towards the back of the factory, breathing regularly having already become a difficult task as I pounded the unforgiving pavement with my formal, leather shoes, coupled with my racing mind and nerves that were in horrendous overdrive all the while.

Quickly putting more and more territory behind me filled with parked cars and modest trees, I immediately saw three figures up ahead, one of them, the one with unmistakable curly, blonde hair...being the sole person the other two males were fighting.

"Jasper!" I yelled against the chilled wind, shoving the Chinese food out of my hands to crash onto the ground as I ran harder, my eyes wide with fear for my beloved angel as I took in more of the maddening, blood-boiling scene before me, every cell in my body dying to be by his side as soon as possible, flaring with too many emotions all at once.

Jasper grunted in pain as I watched as one of the two men, Jacob, as I remembered him and James from before in the factory, delivered a swift punch to Jasper's precious lips, lips that I had kissed over and over and watched as they had brought me endless pleasure in this life, as they were now coated dark red with blood as my lover knelt down to the ground from the force of the blow.

My haggard breath caught in my throat, my eyes zeroing in on Jasper's face, as he moved like he and everything else was in slow motion, as he savagely spat a mouthful of blood onto the pavement with a violent jerk of his head that much resembled how a wild animal would tear a bite out of his fallen prey at his feet.

Suddenly, Jasper sprang up from his spot, allowing me a view of his long, white sleeves rolled up to his elbows as the neckline of the garment underneath his unbuttoned uniform top had been irreparably stretched beyond its normalcy, as my lover reared back his clenched fist and drove it straight into Jacob's smirking, speaking mouth.

The dark-haired male toppled backwards onto the pavement upon receiving such a hefty, powerful strike, as Jasper had already anticipated James' instant retaliation, for the Texan pivoted on his heel as the sneering blonde male had attempted to tackle him down, rendering Jasper a clear shot at James' blind-spot.

"Jasper...don't...!" I attempted to shout to my bloodied, ferocious-looking boyfriend, able to visibly see how Jasper had his teeth grit in crazed anger, his usually entrancing cobalt eyes now burning with untamed wildfire, as he could not hear me above the roar of his own adrenaline in his ears.

Jasper mercilessly kicked his heavy work boot into the small of James' vulnerable back, making a very distinguishable 'thud' sound throughout the high-velocity atmosphere as the male with long, blonde hair yelped loudly in pain before dropping to the ground as well.

"Jazz!" I shouted with everything I had, now twenty yards away from the love of my life, as I watched as Jasper lifted his messy head up from looking over James' trembling form at his feet, but before Jasper could look in my direction, Jasper snapped his attention back towards Jacob who was scrambling to his feet with a sinister look on his marred, russet face.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck...what the fuck should I do...?" I growled to myself, my lungs burning from running so long, as I winced upon seeing Jasper have to begin expertly dodging Jacob's oncoming punches, both of their arms raised to protect their faces and deliver fast strikes to the other as they faced each other once more.

Jasper's broad shoulders were squared off and slightly hunched as the both of them angled their stances a little differently, Jacob throwing jab after jab aimed at Jasper's chin but not able to land a single one as my Jasper smoothly ducked out of the way each time before hurriedly side-stepping his opponent and then delivering his own jab followed by a crushing hook.

The dark-skinned male took the hits, gurgling out another onslaught of curses as his black head was whipped this way and that for a moment before the Native American male rushed a blind punch to Jasper, catching the Texan in his cheek before Jacob tried to bring up a knee to smash into Jasper's stomach.

"_This is a nightmare...why the fuck is this happening...I'm almost there_..._I'm almost by his side...God, please...make this stop...make this not be happening!"_ I mentally cried to the heavens, now within approaching distance of the quarreling men, as I tried to quicken my already desperate, weighted steps.

Jasper had to drop his hands so that Jacob's knee was effectively blocked by his crossed forearms, and with a closing step that Jasper took towards a still-recovering Jacob, Jasper brought up his arm and slammed the ax of his elbow across Jacob's face, his heavenly face twisted into sheer, frightening rage as he performed the potentially fatal move that sent the latter male flying backwards.

Running directly up behind Jasper, pushing aside the logical possibility that I should not do this so soon, I did not stop until I had his back crushed against my chest as I circled my arms around his heaving form.

"Jasper...stop...just stop...you don't have to do any more..." I panted out the words to my lover inside my arms in between my own harsh intakes of breath, my body shaking against his rigid, unmoving frame as I could feel my presence literally holding him back from doing anything else to the defeated men that lie on the ground.

"Get out of here! Get lost!" I directed my raised, livid voice to James and Jacob, watching through hate-filled, uncaring eyes as the pair of them struggled to their feet with huffs of air before awkwardly walking away from Jasper and me.

"Jasper, honey...look at me; let me see..." I had attempted to coo soothingly to my riled lover, but was cut off short as Jasper tore himself out of my embrace and turned around to face me.

I swallowed down some spit at the sight of his ruby-stained lips where a few lines of blood ran down his chin and had splashed onto his white shirt; his bruised and scraped cheekbone that had already turned a deep purple color against his pale skin glaring at me just as fiercely as his narrowed, sapphire eyes.

"...don't you...fucking touch me..." Jasper croaked out, dropping his emotional, confused gaze from mine for a moment, just like how he had the first few times we had met...whence he had not yet known if I was a threat to him or not.

"Jasper...baby, please...you've got to calm down..." I gingerly lifted my hands up in a peaceful gesture to the skittish young man before me, my steady voice in total contrast to my shaking core and worried resolve as I watched as another droplet of Jasper's blood fell from his chin to soak into his shirt.

He looked ready to pommel me, just like he had with James and Jacob...

He looked...ready...to kill me...just like how he had with James and Jacob before I had thrown my arms around him and told him to stop.

"This...this is all your fault...I mean...it's not, but...ugh, I don't fucking know what I mean...!" Jasper growled in frustration as he brought up his cracked and bleeding hands to rake through his soft curls, my eyes only now catching how many smudges of red there were across his knuckles and fingers and I shuddered at the thought that his fight with those two had been going on for a while before I had gotten there.

"Okay...it's okay...just slow down and tell me what happened..." I spoke carefully to my lover as I watched him pull on his messy curls and take a distancing step back whilst he collected his thoughts, his every movement practically screaming at me that there was still some urges to fight and lash out present within him.

I vowed that I would not let myself be afraid, no matter what he told me...no matter what he did.

I needed to stay strong so I could help him.

However, Jasper laughed darkly as he dropped his hands from his hair, his eyes still boring dangerously into mine as he spoke.

"...I'll tell you what happened...those two dickheads noticed that you've been coming around here a lot...so today they decided to call me a fag and asked which one of us takes it in the ass..." Jasper explained coldly, unrelenting in his acid-coated tone to me whilst his features remained just as frozen as his words to me.

I watched as Jasper shook his head at his own words, lowering his piercing eyes from mine as he gently brought a hand to his stomach, wincing as he did so, which caused me to be immediately concerned that he was much more injured that he appeared.

"...I couldn't fucking take it when they told me that I could suck their dicks whenever I wanted, and...the next thing I know, we're fighting out here, and...James gets me a few times...has my hands behind my back, but I break free and just... " Jasper's tone had lowered considerably, his eyes still not meeting mine as I felt my entire world take a gigantic, crushing blow upon realizing that Jasper had indeed been a victim of a horrible hate crime, that this entire mess had been caused because he had been literally forced to defend himself, "...ugh, goddamnit all...I fucking need this job, it's one of the only things I know how to do!"

I forced away my inability to speak, knowing that Jasper needed to hear some positive words at this moment as I watched as he winced again and turned his body a little more away from mine, like he was in extraordinary pain but dared not voice a sound of it aloud.

"Jasper...I..." I steadied my shaking resolve upon seeing Jasper steel his jaw at my initially tender words, as I started again with much more conviction, "...let me talk to my father; he's a lawyer upstate. I'm sure we can get those guys fired and make sure that you still have your job."

Jasper's sorrowful gaze lowered even more at my words.

"No lawyer is going to want to represent me..." Jasper murmured quietly, puzzling me straight away as I cocked my head to a side as I regarded his cryptic words, bold enough to take a small step towards him as I watched as he lowered his stained hands to his sides once more.

"Why would you say that...? What do you mean, Jazz...?" I asked, my words having grown even smaller before I had finished as I watched as Jasper chuckle dryly once more before licking his bloodied lips and directing his gaze towards me with a turn of his curly head.

"You want to know why I was able to hold my own with the likes of those two? You want to know why I was the one left standing there at the end...?" Jasper posed the rhetorical questions to me, his voice intimidatingly serious in its tone and blackened vibrancy to me as he turned his whole body towards mine and lifted his hands to either side of my face.

My lips parted as an automatic gasp escaped me, my 'flight' instincts instantaneously kicking in within my conscious as I let Jasper take hold of my jaw against his roughened palms, his actions bringing us closer as he searched my eyes with his own before conveying his meaning.

"That night in Texas...when those people came..." he began and I was instantly placed right back into my solemn, fearful mindset of what was to pass through Jasper's lips next, the anxiety almost killing me in its treacherous depravity as I remembered my previously conjured images of shadowed figures and blood-spattered walls, as my eyes widened in slow understanding whilst he continued, "...after they took turns beating the shit out me, they didn't just leave me there. They took me, Edward...they fucking took me..."

I could not speak, could not think; barely able to keep my eyes locked onto the woeful beseeching that was Jasper's gaze into my own as I registered that he was still speaking to me, revealing even more traumatic things that had happened to him that I had only thought happened in gut-wrenching, fiction novels.

"...and..." Jasper said with a mournful furrow to his eyebrows as he used his thumbs to lift up my head that I had not truly realized I had lowered, making me meet his hurting eyes once more before he continued, "...you want to know what they made me do for them...what my fucking 'role' was for these people...they made me do their dirty work, Edward...break into people's houses, steal shit all the time...and fight anyone who tried to say otherwise..."

I gasped audibly upon hearing this information, unable to hide the blatant shock and sudden trepidation that flashed through my features, all of which I knew Jasper had seen as he closed his eyes in remorse and pulled his hands and body away from me, heart-breaking shame written all over his very aura in this moment.

"So, now you know...I didn't just get all my scars from that one night...they came from years of putting up with that shit...years of a...sixteen year-old me trying to take down a forty-five year-old guy we were trying to rip off..." Jasper lamented with odd-sounding, self-hating words to me as he closed his eyes once more and sighed out his air through his nose, almost as if he was just trying to cope with the very real images he had, no doubt, playing inside of his mind, torturing him all the more as he spoke all of this to me.

In the far corners of my direly overwhelmed mind, I acknowledged that it had been awhile since I had spoken, my thoughts of what to say were vastly outweighing and contradicting what my voice was trying to utter, and I found myself at an aggravating impasse with myself, not even close to knowing what I should try to offer this broken man before me whose words and eyes pleaded gravely with me to try to understand, to somehow accept what he was leaving to my comprehension.

Sighing once more at the silence between us, Jasper shuffled his weight on his feet, his swollen, battered hands sliding inside the pockets of his pants as he concluded his history with even more heartbreak in his tone, "...but...you might be...relieved to know that everything I did...has been paid up in full..."

"W-what...?" I stuttered, my single word having just flowed from my mouth as per my sharp confusion at his open-ended statement, but not even the sound of my voice could gain Jasper's gaze from the ground.

"I spent two years in jail because of all that...from when I was eighteen to twenty," Jasper clarified with another quick lick to his drying lips, the short fluttering of wind currents pushing the folds of my suit jacket and his unbuttoned work shirt around our wrists as our heavy pause in speaking filled the space in between us.

This time, Jasper did lift his gaze up and looked softly, affectionately over at me, every swirling emotion that had previously been in his enticing pools now completely still, as if he was at peace with telling me the rest of his tragic story, and I found myself in awe of the whole transition of these things making up my Jasper's life, of everything that had been said up until this point and whatever may come next.

"It was a blessing in disguise, I guess, because it was while I was in there that I realized that I was good with my hands, and that I could work with metal," Jasper explained almost nostalgically to me, a gentle ghost of a smirk curving his lips as he continued, "...and, after I was released, this was the one of the first places I came to. I was so surprised when they took me right away...not even caring about my criminal record...it only mattered that I could do the work..."

"Jasper, listen to me..." I began even though my rampant thoughts had only slowed down a fraction inside my racing head, as the only thing I knew was that now was my chance to reign Jasper back into me now that he was calmer and not so angry anymore; now was my chance...

"I don't care about all of that stuff...I mean, I do care, but...it's not who you are at all! All the terrible things you've been through...they don't dictate you as a person...the person that I...have come to love," I spoke sternly but not harshly, finding myself breathing tremendously easier once I had finished my thought as I let my eyes train keenly over Jasper's profile.

"...what did you say?" Jasper asked me with uncertain, nearly scared words as he turned towards me, casting his worried features my way as he blinked his endlessly blue eyes into my moss-green ones.

I took another deep breath, finding my rattled nerves calming exponentially within such a bittersweet moment where Jasper seemed nervous in his hesitance with me, letting me feel a little more in control of the delicate situation as I took a step towards Jasper...then another.

"I said...I love you, Jasper..." I spoke slowly as I continued to approach my surprised, red-stained angel, lifting up my arms until I rested either of my hands on his bare forearms, sliding my fingers carefully up his strong limbs as I closed even more painful distance between us, "...I love you so much...and there's nothing...nothing you could say that will ever change that. Do you hear me, Whitlock...I'm telling you that I love you."

Jasper said nothing, his rose-colored lips parted and unmoving as he kept his widened eyes locked onto my face as I sauntered my eyes across his features, forever immaculate in my mind no matter how many bruises or cuts adorned him, before I gently pressed my lips to his, mindful of how sore they might be but wholly uncaring of how his blood would most likely smear across my own mouth.

I just really needed to fucking kiss him...

I felt rejuvenated as a living, functioning human being as I felt Jasper relax into my tender kiss, his whole presence just seeming to lessen in intensity and worry as he soothed the tense muscles in his back and shoulders, his whole body melting into my own warmer presence as he responded in kind, needing it to mend his own...all of which I was more than happy to offer him.

I would offer him anything.

However, our kiss ended too soon for my liking as Jasper suddenly winced in pain and pulled his lips away from me, beginning to lift a hand to his aching jaw but stopping midway as he slowly opened his dazed eyes to meet my patiently waiting gaze and grateful smile.

"I um..." Jasper attempted to speak before having to clear his throat, our bodies nearly gyrating with frazzled nerves and anticipations that had easily seen the lowest of the low before reaching an impenetrable high, making each of us feel practically ready to take flight from how much jittery energy there was within us, "...I...just...how can you say that to me, Edward...after all the horrible things I just told you about myself...how come you aren't walking away from me for good..."

Jasper's eyes were narrowed with so much pressing emotion and radical feelings of guilt whilst he had uttered such self-loathing questions to me, his features strained as he strove to understand how I could have easily dismissed these facts about his past, as if the very notion was absurd...but my answer back to him came fluidly.

"I love you...I love everything about you..." I repeated smoothly, consciously acknowledging that I would repeat these very same words a thousand times over if it would make Jasper let go of his apprehensions and believe me, "...I just...want you, Jasper...in my life...with me...always."

Jasper mindlessly blinked his eyes down to my chest while he absorbed everything I had said to him, having to take in how I only wanted him for who he was now and could not care less about anything that had happened in the past, that I wanted our time together, our life together, to be about so much more...to be about our future.

As I stood there watching him as he visibly evened out his quiet breathing, I understood straight away that this phenomena might be a rare thing for him – someone who did not wish to dwell on his checkered past and previous misdeeds, and I felt an unmistakable surge of pride fill my body upon realizing that I could have such a meaningful affect on my angel.

"_My lovely...dangerous angel..."_ I mentally cooed the words to myself, taking in his ruffled appearance that clearly spoke of his recent activities of engaging in brutal, bare-knuckle fights just outside his workplace as he swallowed hard, frowning a little as he finally lifted his gaze to mine, ready to speak.

"...I should...probably get going before they decide to press charges or whatever," Jasper spoke in a hushed, introverted tone, his mannerisms a bit shy and unsure as he continued to cast his worried eyes into mine, holding them, begging me to be patient with him as he added in an even quieter voice, "...can we...talk about this later? It's just...my head is killing me, and I can barely think straight right now, and this is kind of major, so..."

"Yes, of course, of course...we'll talk later," I interrupted a rambling Jasper, not particularly favoring the idea of parting ways so soon, but I did understand his need to have some time alone so he may let everything that had happened today sink in and process.

He and I both had just received a lot to think about, and, at the very least, I could understand that Jasper probably needed an aspirin or two.

Jasper nodded at my simple words, another sad but welcome smile touching his bruised lips, before he straightened his arms at his sides and then began walking away from me and towards Bella which I could just barely see parked a little ways from where I was.

I took another steadying breath of evening air into my lungs, holding it for a bit as I watched Jasper walk away from me, his curly head lowered slightly as he, no doubt, watched the pavement pass under his feet, memories and physical pains from his fight plaguing his mind and body all the while before our conversation poked through the senseless haze of his quarrel, offering him something real, something salvaging, to digest.

I felt somewhat responsible for a substantial portion of Jasper's evident melancholy as I watched as he sped away on his beloved motorcycle, filling the atmosphere with its sleek, powerful roar, as he gracefully navigated down the service road that lead out of the factory district and onto the main highway, but I did not feel any kind of guilt for putting such a burden on him.

Maybe my words and confession of being in love with him were exactly what he needed to hear in order to counterbalance the aftermath of his awful brawl with those two men, as well as the possibility that he might lose his job.

Upon considering the last part of my own train of thought, I frowned at the plain scenery of the stretching highway that ran far beyond where I was currently standing in the parking lot of the steel factory, and I hoped to God that Jasper would not have to suffer such consequences just for defending himself.

He had already been through so much, and I could tell that having this job meant a lot to him.

I sighed.

Moving my tongue around the inside of my mouth for a moment, and with my mind still being overrun with countless, half-formed thoughts and worries about everything concerning the possible to the impossible, I turned around and began heading back to my parked car at the other end of the lot, each step taken with measured, pensive effort as I also found myself staring uselessly at the ground while I walked.

"_God...please let him be okay..."_ I thought woefully as I listened to the solid stepping sounds of my shoes hitting the pavement, feelings of already missing Jasper's charming presence, coupled with the absolutely unbearable desire to take care of him, pressing firmly against the forefront of my skull and seeming to intensify the closer I got to my vehicle, and I could not help but long to be at his side once more.

"_I've told him I love...I should make good on my word and be with him, show him that I want to be there for him, physically, mentally...all of it...Jesus Christ, this is killing me..."_ I internally argued with myself, hating not being close to him at such a time where he and I both had practically lain out the most important things we could have told each other...and now we had to be apart.

"I promised that I would give him time...make good on that first, Cullen..." I whispered to myself, picking my gaze up from the ground at last as I scouted the vast parking lot for my car, spotting it, and then began directing my steps accordingly, admittedly ready to go home and have a few beers before turning in for the night.

I felt exhausted; physically drained and mentally weary...but I still could not shake my feelings of immense anxiety, the unsettling stirring within my body that spoke in inaudible tones to me...things of hardship and pain, and it was with a heavy heart that I entered my Volvo to follow through on my promise to Jasper to allow him some time alone.

X

1:44am...

_Ring, ring, ring..._

"Nnh..." I murmured into my soft, warm pillow, scrunching my features together a bit as I lost more and more of my hold on precious sleep, being roused indefinitely by the incessant, high-pitched tones that were sounding relatively close to my ear.

_Ring, ring, ring..._

"Ugh...jeeze..." I grumbled half-consciously as I planted my hands on the mattress and lifted my head up from my pillow to seek out the time on the green digital clock by my bed, before groggily extending a hand to the top of my bedside table where my cell phone was currently chiming the news that I was receiving a call.

"_Maybe it's Jasper...?"_ my hazy thoughts immediately culled, but were diminished just as quickly as I blinked my sleepy eyes at a number I did not recognize on the glowing screen.

"H-hello...?" I attempted to make my voice sound more normal and awake but failed miserably as I had sounded just as tired as I actually was, as I sat up a little more in bed, making the chocolate brown duvet settle across my legs and waist.

"Mr. Edward Cullen?" an alarmingly collected and professional voice responded, making my nerves jump into a full-force spell of tremulous unease as I leaned forward to place my elbows on either of my covered knees, my eyes and body feeling completely alert now.

"Yes...yes, this is he..." was all I was able to get out before my sudden nervousness clamped my mouth shut, a sickening churning returning with a vengeance in the pit of my stomach, as my eyes darted from corner to corner of my blackened, unlit bedroom.

"This is Doctor Aro of Wesleyan General Hospital. We have a Jasper Whitlock here who was admitted several hours ago due to a car accident he was in. Yours...was the only name he said, so we looked up your contact information on his cell and decided to call you," explained the man in a tone trying to be polite with me, trying to be gentle and not harsh but all I could hear was that Jasper...was in...the hospital.

"...a...a...a car accident?" I exclaimed with choked, disbelieving words, instantly picturing Jasper on his motorcycle, flying down the highway to head home...just like the last time I had seen him...

I was panicking; I could feel myself panicking; as my heart rate was immediately through the roof, and I flung myself out of bed, my feet walking around the room as my mind sped with information and questions whilst simultaneously trying to piece together a simple, logical list of what I needed to do right this second.

"_Go to Jasper immediately."_

"_Get dressed first."_

"_Jasper's in the hospital; that means he's hurt!"_

"_No, no, no...don't think about that now! Stick to the list!"_

"Yes. He's suffered a broken arm, some bruised ribs on his left side along with some minor cuts, but he is doing fine. We are keeping him overnight for observation, however, just to make sure we are not overlooking any of his injuries," Doctor Aro continued to be patient with me, speaking to me calmly, for which I was wholly grateful as I frantically dug through the opened drawers of my bureau and threw the first pair of pants and shirt I saw onto my bed.

"I'll be there right away!" I spoke fiercely before hanging up, also tossing my cell phone onto my bed, as I spared a brief second to bring my praying hands to my face while I blew out a great amount of air across my fingers, before hurrying to the clothes I had lain out and changing into them without so much as bothering to fix them entirely.

"Hold on, Jasper...I'm on my way...I'm finally going to see you, sweetheart...I'll be right there..." I murmured aloud, my hands shaking as I rushed out of my bedroom and down the stairs, pulling on a light jacket over my arms and back as I did so, my voice cracking a bit inside my darkened, sleepy house as I felt warm, heavy tears blot the corners of my eyes, smearing my vision as I grabbed my keys from the kitchen counter and made to exit.

"_Okay, just keep it cool, keep it together, Edward Cullen...you can do this,"_ I mentally spoke to myself, needing my typically stern, internal voice now more than ever as I pushed through the bitter cold of nighttime and made my way towards the garage, barely noticing the crickets chirping or the general, eerie feeling of the early morning atmosphere, as the only thing I concentrated on was continually telling myself instructions so that I made it out of this with some sanity, _"...just make sure you don't wreck on the way there, for God's sake...oh my God, Jasper...I can't believe you were in a...no...no! It's going to be okay...from now on, I'm going to make everything be okay. Just you wait, Jasper Whitlock...I'm never going to let you walk away from me again..."_

_Author's Note:_ So...this was my twist...but fear not! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak, where there is going to be some mending and healing. Time for some proper fluff, yes? Yes. Cheers!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_Jasper's POV_

I tried to move my arm.

Nothing.

"Jasper! Jasper, I'm here...I'm right here...Jesus...everything's going to be okay now; I promise..."

Someone was...speaking to me?

My eyes were closed even though I could not find any more sleep, and it was with slow, groggy movements that I opened my eyes to the sound of my name being spoken with so much crushing emotion behind it.

Blindingly bright lights made my initial vision of wild, bronze-colored tresses and worried, green eyes blur for a moment before another blink of my eyes brought forth the crystal-clear sight of Edward looking directly at me...worried...and crying.

"What are you...why are you...crying...?" I asked in a terribly hoarse, barely audible voice and fatigued words as I felt soft, gentle fingers slide across my cheek, Edward's emerald gaze piercing into me as he touched my face.

"I'm just so...happy to see you, sweetheart..." Edward spoke with thoughtful words as he smiled at me, tears streaming down his pale, diamond-cut cheeks as he carefully retracted his hand from my chin but only so he could place his hand comfortingly on my arm nearest him.

Just as I was about to say how glad I was to see him as well, my attention was drawn to the door to the room that swiftly opened and closed, as a slender, middle-aged man clad in a long, white coat with his lengthy, coffee-brown mane tied in a loose pony-tail behind him entered with a chart in his hands and a professional smile on his face.

"Ah, I see you are awake again, Jasper," the man began in a quiet, collected tone of voice as he finished thumbing through a few pages adorning the front of the chart, before lifting up his aged, wise gaze to look upon both Edward and me, "...how are you feeling?"

Edward also moved his gaze to mine before I could give my reply, his bottom lip showing signs of being chewed on for quite some time, as I dropped my eyes from his features so that I could gather my thoughts.

"Um...tired, mostly...but um...alright, I guess...not in any real pain..." I stumbled my way through my answer to both males in the room, my lowered eyes catching Edward twisting his torso away from me for a moment while he reached over towards a table next to the bed and retrieved a plastic cup full of ice water.

The doctor smiled softly at my answer, seemingly pleased with my response, as Edward cooed a quiet 'here,' brought the cup under my chin, and placed the end of the straw in between my lips so that I could finally have a much needed drink to calm my screaming throat.

"Very good. The medicine will make you drowsy at times, but it will help with the pain. You were quite fortunate, Mr. Whitlock, that your injuries weren't any worse. And as far as your broken arm, there is no nerve damage or multiple fractures to speak of, so you'll have that cast off before you know it," the doctor spoke in a calm but positive manner, for which I appreciated tremendously, as I felt my lungs physically breathe easier at his words.

Suddenly, Edward's arms were around me, hugging me firmly but mindful of my cast and bandaged side, as he buried his nose and lips into the side of my neck, every inch of him trembling as he did so.

I gasped upon being embraced with so much tangible emotion, despair and gratefulness, hope and sorrow all rolled into one, simple gesture, that left me breathless for a second, as I could only rest the side of my head on top of his to reciprocate everything he was telling me he felt right now.

"Doctor Aro, I have some questions for you, if you don't mind..." Edward sniffed back his sobs as he released me from his warm, meaningful hug and spoke to the doctor, unwinding his arms from around me with lingering touches, as he cast me a significant, reassuring glance, before padding away from me and towards the long-haired doctor.

"Of course. Let's talk outside," Doctor Aro first extended a hand towards the glass door to my room, motioning for Edward to exit with him, before Edward stopped and turned to speak to me one last time before taking his leave.

"I'll be right back, Jazzy, okay? The doctor and I are just going to be right outside to talk for a few minutes..."Edward spoke hurriedly to me, his words and mannerisms showing of his pressing reluctance to leave my side as his tone spoke more of his need to reassure me that he would be coming back to me, as I simply nodded at his implication that admittedly made my chest ache and offered him a weak smile.

"Oh...okay...no problem," I replied, instantly regretting the lame tone of my words as I watched Edward draw his bottom lip in between his teeth, his brain and his heart in obvious conflict with each other, before he turned towards the opened door where the doctor waited patiently.

I swallowed hard at the sight of Edward leaving, especially when I saw him from the other side of the glass door looking back at me with the same pain in his features, before I promptly closed my heavy eyes once more, and gave into the tempting lulls of my exhaustion calling me to sleep for a little longer.

X

_Edward's POV_

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. I can tell already that your presence is helping Jasper to recover," Doctor Aro began to me upon turning around so that he could face me, the both of us having walked down the hall from Jasper's room so that we could talk in private.

My stomach jumped a little upon hearing the doctor's positive assessment, and I felt proud that he had noticed Jasper's and my strong connection straight away.

"Oh, of course! I'm just glad someone called..." I responded adamantly, nodding politely as I watched as Doctor Aro shifted his weight on his feet for a second before speaking again.

"As for Jasper...we noticed a lot of minor things, things that would not have come from the accident...such as swollen fingers, bruised knuckles. You see, someone involved in a car accident that gets thrown from the vehicle, let's say, they end up with the lacerations on the palms of their hands, not along the top..." Doctor Aro posed the information to me with a pointed, curious stare, his solemn features reflecting how he somehow knew how I would, without a doubt, know exactly what he was asking.

"Oh...oh, oh yeah that um..." I was already slightly shaking my head in understanding, as I briefly brought up crooked finger to swipe at my nose before continuing, "...Jasper had been in a fight earlier today...it's...probably the reason why he was out driving for so long..."

Doctor Aro frowned at my explanation.

"I see. This might not be any of my business, but..." the doctor began slowly, flashing his eyes to mine for a moment to read my reaction, which I readily nodded for him to continue.

"...I would recommend that you or someone close to him watches over him for a little while, or at least until he is completely healed," Doctor Aro spoke freely with me, blinking his seemingly all-knowing eyes at my attentive expression as I clung to his every word as if my own life depended on it, trying to digest their every meaning and implication, "...when we received him in the emergency room this evening, if you'll excuse my choice of words, he looked like a man that's been recently broken...and I'm not sure if he is totally put back together yet."

I could feel myself internally recoil from hearing such relentlessly true words, instantly recalling the tumultuous, violent emotions that had played across Jasper's every feature and fiber whence I had stopped his fight and witnessed first-hand just how thin his lines were between solace and mayhem...when I had honestly been afraid that my fate would have matched that of James and Jacob.

Then, of course, when I had seen Jasper wholly shut down from having to re-live so much deeply buried shame whence he had told me his entire past story...another part of him had broke in front of me as well.

I licked my drying lips, cleared my throat, and then spoke firmly, the feelings of extreme, soul-breaking empathy and remorse giving me the strength I needed at this moment, giving me the extra courage one needed to truly be there for Jasper Whitlock.

"I'll take care of him," I promised with stern words to the doctor before me, steeling my eyes as I held his understanding gaze and now literally spoke of the things I had only thought of on my way to the hospital as well as to Jasper's intensive care room, "...I'll watch him; it won't be a problem. I know I can get the time off of work."

"It's settled, then. I'll release him as soon as I clear his condition, and then he's all yours," Doctor Aro glanced back down at the chart in his hands, before looking up and casting me a small smile and then turning on his heel and striding away to go about his other duties.

Now that I was alone, I breathed out the air filling my chest, my half-focused sense of hearing only somewhat able to register the dull chatter of the nearby nurses at their triage station, the constant humming of several machines running at various point, and the subtle tap sounds of rubber soles walking down the clean tiled floors that made up the network of corridors of patient and operating rooms on this first level of emergency care.

"_He's all mine..."_ I reflected gravely on Doctor Aro's parting words to me, not at all letting the cruel irony slip my attention that such a concept had been what I wanted since the beginning, of Jasper just being mine.

Turning around in my spot as well, I easily navigated back to Jasper's ICU room, slowing my steps as soon as I appeared in front of the windows and glass door, looking inside and immediately beholding the image of Jasper sleeping comfortably with his curly head tilted a little to a side.

I smiled my naturally crooked smile at the heart-warming sight of such calmness at last, as I silently slipped inside the room and sat by Jasper's side once more, my eyes never leaving his peaceful, bruised face as I leaned in close to him.

Heat slowly collected at the backs of my eyes, making my emerald orbs water, my throat feeling as if I had just swallowed a handful of cotton, as I struggled against my overwhelming urge to cry as I looked over Jasper's healing, battered form.

"_God...it could have been so much worse...he could have...could have...no, I don't even want to think of that word._ _That didn't happen, and here he is with me right now...sleeping...safe..."_ I mentally told myself as I forced away my stifling symptoms and crossed my arms over one another on top of the bed mattress, and then lowered my chin down onto my settled wrists.

Jasper's broken arm was draped across his stomach, the thick, white cast blending in seamlessly with the stark white of the thin blankets and sheets that covered him to his chest – my half-lidded, exhausted eyes taking in the sight of the medical treatment my angel had to have, and it was with a heavy heart that I closed my eyes as well.

X

"Yes...yes, I agree with you. Of course..."

Crinkling my forehead as the sounds of human voices flooded my responsive ears, I awoke with a start and lifted my head up lying on my crossed, tingling arms, whipping my alert attention to the doorway where I immediately saw Doctor Aro speaking with another man.

"Ugh...how long was I out...?" I murmured the curious question aloud as I saw the two doctors finish their conversation, followed by Doctor Aro turning towards the glass door to enter the room.

"I'm not sure...a few hours, maybe...?" Jasper unexpectedly answered my words, making me cast my wide, thankful eyes to his lovely face already looking softly over me.

"Sweetheart..." I breathed at once, before gingerly bringing up my hands to either side of his face, carefully touching his cool flesh with my fingers as I felt my whole world lighten with the way Jasper leaned into my touch, seeking my warmth and drawing his own happiness from it, as he smiled back at me.

"They said I can leave as soon as I get my prescription," Jasper said, his tired eyes never leaving my face as he continued to offer me his gentle, life-saving smile, and it was now that I felt my overdue tears begin to slide down my cheeks.

"That's...thank God, Jasper..."I replied with broken words and a beaming smile before I saw Jasper lift up his uninjured hand to my face and carefully wipe away the trail of warm tears going down one side of my face, his eyes watching his own ministrations and acknowledging all the pain I was letting go.

"Gentlemen, good morning again..." Doctor Aro announced his arrival as he stepped into the ICU room and padded to the foot of Jasper's bed, a packet of papers in his hands as he regarded us courteously, "...I have here your information for at-home care, as well as your prescription for pain medication."

"Thank you, doctor," Jasper spoke with a sigh of relief, his hand having naturally slid down my arm until he could squeeze my fingers with his own, all of which I was more than happy to oblige as I rubbed my thumb over the top of his hand.

"No problem. I'll have a nurse in here with a wheelchair to escort you out," Doctor Aro smiled his aged smile at us as he handed me Jasper's information, "Now take good care of that arm, okay, Jasper? Ice any swelling on your sides...and Jasper...?"

"Yeah, doc?" Jasper asked with an adorably hesitant voice as he listened to Doctor Aro speak to him warmly, much like how a father would instruct his child on how to behave for the time being, as my handsome lover swallowed hard at the doctor's growing smile and kind eyes.

"No more fights...at least, not for awhile. Deal?" Aro spoke with a small chuckle, and my steady eyes easily caught the way Jasper's cheeks flushed a soft pink as he lowered his curly head for a moment before directing his slightly embarrassed gaze back on the doctor.

"Deal," Jasper agreed, earning a satisfied nod from Doctor Aro before Jasper and I both watched as he waved us good-bye before taking his leave of the medical room.

"Come on, Jazz...let's get out of here," I offered plainly but gently to the gorgeous man beside me, helping him to change back into his normal clothes before a soft knocking at the door caught our ears.

"Hello! Are you all ready, Mr. Whitlock?" sounded the voice of a young, female nurse wearing light purple scrubs, the wheelchair handles in her hands as she first popped her head inside the room, obviously saw that Jasper was now dressed, before she pushed the mobile chair out in front of her.

"...hello...uh...yeah, yeah I think so," Jasper responded awkwardly with much less enthusiasm than what was given him by the nurse, and I offered my lover a sympathetic smile as I watched as he maneuvered to sit down in the wheelchair, clearly hating it, and then placed his booted feet on the appropriate foot pedals.

"Aww...what's that you got there? A broken arm? You'll be okay, sugar pie! In no time at all!" the increasingly bubbly nurse cooed to Jasper as if he were a small child as the three of us began to make our way down the corridor, passed the nurse's desk, and veered left towards the exit of the emergency center, my car keys and Jasper's packet of forms being held tightly in my hands.

Jasper looked up to me as we continued to venture outside of the facility, confusion and comical panic in his eyes, almost as if he was asking me to save him from the nurse's painstakingly upbeat personality.

I almost laughed out loud when Jasper only replied with, "...erm...thanks..."

Finally standing on the wide sidewalk out in front of the emergency area, Jasper carefully stood up from the wheelchair, my hands immediately going to his shoulder and back to help him, as our chatty, obviously overly-optimistic nurse turned to leave, but not without saying something else to either of us.

"Oh...you guys look so cute together! Definitely a match made in heaven! Take care now!" she beamed at us with a blindingly eager smile before she dutifully pushed the wheelchair back through the automatic glass doors and inside the hospital, both of us silently watching her as she did so.

"Jasper...I..." I began mindlessly, perhaps just needing to break the silence between us as we now stood in the crisp, breaking light of day that offered scant but gracious warmth to our overwhelmed and completely exhausted bodies, my hands still holding onto him as I quickly noticed that Jasper was leaning heavily on me for support.

"Wait, Edward...I have something I need to say..." Jasper cut me off with airy, but determined words, his eyes only downcast for a fraction of a moment to shut out the peeking colors of orange and grey that battled and mixed diligently with the overall navy of the fading night, before he lifted them back up, taking in me and everything about this moment in that single gesture before speaking again.

"I can't thank you enough for coming here for me...and I'm...I am just so sorry that all of this had to happen in the first place. I didn't mean...I just...I shouldn't have just left when we were talking earlier," Jasper confessed with a solemn sigh, his eyes showing of his internal pain rather than any physical discomfort and I could feel it deep in my heart that Jasper was truly trying to repent to me, that he needed to know that I still loved him, "...I'm sorry, Edward."

I breathed a smile before gingerly wrapping my arms around Jasper's neck, hugging him to me as urgently as I dared, as I felt my eyes mist over with hushed emotion as I allowed the wind-blown scent of his plain, white T-shirt and work uniform to fill my nostrils, offering me something real to latch onto in addition to his body, as I smiled into the side of his neck.

"Jasper...I'm just so glad you're okay...when the doctor called me about you...I thought I was going to have a heart attack," I whispered against the smooth expanse of Jasper's throat, speaking of the exact things I knew Jasper was apologizing for, "...but the fact that I'm holding you know...that's all that matters to me."

Jasper's throat moved as he swallowed at my words, the bridge of his nose pushing into the top of my shoulder as he let me hold him as tightly as I pleased, and after a brief second of silence in which I knew Jasper was simply trying to digest everything I was telling him in spite of how exhausted he had to have been, I spoke quietly to him again.

"You scared the shit out of me, baby...I love you...I don't ever want to see you hurt..." my thoughts seamlessly poured out of my mouth in the most cleansing of ways, and I could not help my actions and squeezed his chest a little closer to my own, needing to rectify through touch just how happy and uncaring of the circumstances leading up to this point I honestly was.

Slowly, Jasper and I inched our torsos away from one another, my arms still wound around him, and it was with a sharp, aching rasp occurring inside me that I noticed that it was now Jasper who was crying, his saddened, cobalt eyes releasing all of his jagged-edged remorse in glistening streaks of rain down his porcelain cheeks.

"Jasper..." I breathed my lover's name, cherishing it always, as I freed a hand from around his shoulder and brought it to the side of his silently crying face, still strong in its regal beauty as my glinting jade orbs easily held Jasper's emotional, sapphire gaze, "...let's go home."

Perhaps not trusting his typically smooth, smoky voice at such a time, Jasper nodded at my words, his sparkling eyes immediately regaining a little more of their brilliant shine, as I smiled in earnest at him before stepping to his uninjured side and lacing our fingers together.

Together, we walked to my Volvo in the emergency parking lot located nearby, where I assisted Jasper in climbing into the large SUV, before I took my place at his side, and proceeded to drive us to my house, neither one of us saying a word, neither one of us having to at the moment.

The both of us were purely grateful to be with the other once more...to be able to have that chance again, now that it had become abundantly understood how fragile such a thing truly was.

Only a few times did I hear Jasper clear his throat as I continued to drive the two of us to my side of town; the exceptionally early morning hour bringing an array of gorgeous, warm colors to collect in the overhead sky, as the pink and yellow hues dominated over the murky blue, making for an enrapturing contrast happening right before my very eyes over the tops of the city buildings.

I smiled at the lovely, inspiring view before turning my head to seek out Jasper, to make sure that he was also beholding such a magnificent sky, but my eyes softened in their intensity the second I saw that Jasper Whitlock was sleeping soundly in the car seat next to me.

His curly head was tilted a little away from me, moving subtly along with the motions of the drive back to my home, as his lithe figure was cradled by the bucket seat with his uninjured hand resting comfortably on his thigh.

"_I mean it...thank you, God...thank you for not taking him away from me..."_

X

Several minutes later...

"Jasper...Jazz, you need to wake up so we can get you inside," I spoke softly to the angel slowly rousing from his slumber, my fingers gently playing with a few of his honey-blonde curls around his brow, as I watched as he gradually began opening his drowsy eyes.

Jasper had his beautiful eyes squinted with his pressing need to continue sleeping as he turned his head towards me with a growing smirk on his face, my fingers still in his hair, moving the messy strands out of his face all the while.

"Are we here?" Jasper whispered the words to me, closing his eyes once more as my fingertips sifted through another few of his tresses, before he opened them once more and cast his striking gaze directly into my waiting one.

"We're here, sweetheart. Now come on," I spoke just as softly back to him before retracting my hands from him and making to open my door so I may hop out of the vehicle, my own senses inconceivably tired just as Jasper's were, but my fierce will to first see to my lover's comfort made my muscles work without flaw.

"...'kay," Jasper murmured as he also opened his car door, just as I had rounded the front of the vehicle and helped him step down, my every movement being unbelievably conscious of his broken arm as I navigated the both of us inside my house, his footsteps sluggish beside my own.

One of my arms wrapped around Jasper's waist, I noticed that Jasper had his eyes closed again, only taking steps when I did, as I carefully steered him through the kitchen and up the stairs, having dropped my keys unceremoniously onto my kitchen counter whence he and I had passed it.

"We're almost there, sweetheart...just a little longer and then you can sleep all you want," I cooed to the man in my arms as he and I both finished ascending the stairs and made a left towards the master bedroom, ample amounts of fresh sunlight peeking in through closed blinds seeming to make my whole house have the peaceful ambiance of a silent church as we went.

"...mm-hmm..."Jasper hummed in response before I meticulously helped him get situated on top of my bed, my hands working quickly to pile a few pillows behind him before I fluidly knelt down in front of his sitting form and began untying his heavy work boots.

"Alright...just lie back slowly, baby..."I whispered the instruction to my weary lover as I set down his boots on the floor, my own eyes feeling just as weighted as I watched as Jasper reclined against the stack of chocolate brown-colored pillows I had provided for him, his eyes closed as he snuggled into the soft tufts of the thick duvet.

Unable to ignore my own dreadful fatigue any longer, I heaved a great sigh of relief as I finally flopped down upon my bed next to Jasper, my muscles already beginning to soothe in their hyper-induced tension as I felt my body practically melt on top of my mattress, my thoughts mellowing out inside my calming mind as I felt the tempting warmth of sleep start to overtake my senses.

"...Edward...?" Jasper's accented voice whispered quietly to me from my side, neither one of us moving as he and I mutually understood that what we both needed most right now was some rest, and I knew that after Jasper said what he needed to say, that the both of us would finally get some recuperative sleep at last.

"...hmm?" I responded the best I possibly could, the sound of which having been muffled by the pillow currently cradling my head as I felt a tinge of eagerness of hearing Jasper's spoken thoughts partially poke through some of my overall drowsiness, as I listened to my healing, earth-bound angel take a few, deep breaths before finally finishing his statement to me.

"...I'm...really glad you brought me here...instead of my place..." Jasper confessed to me, his voice like a pleasant, comforting balm to my heart and soul as I smiled against my pillow while I continued to lie on my stomach and let the gentle sweeps of his meaningful words pass over me like a warm blanket meant only for me, "...I...need you, Edward...I realized that I don't want to be away from you either. I'm still sorry for everything; I hate how...I made you cry like that...but I'm also just...really...happy that I'm here now..."

_Author's Note:_ Ha! This story has a mind of its own, I tell ya. XD Thanks for continuing to check out my story and I will appreciate any overall feedback you might have. The end draws near, yes? Thanks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_Edward's POV_

In the midst of the crisp silence and still light peeking in from outside, I opened my eyes and ebbed away from my deep slumber, a small smile already forming on my lips as I could hear Jasper snoring lightly by my side, my angel apparently still resting peacefully.

Bringing my arms out in front of me, I stretched out my limbs before swinging my legs over the edge of the mattress, my tongue automatically licking the roof of my dry mouth, as my eyes lowered to the digital clock sitting on the bedside table.

"_A little after noon...I need to make some calls..."_ I thought to myself, my body feeling remarkably and thankfully alert, ready to see to my obligations for the rest of the day, as I stood up from my bed and picked up my cell phone from the small nightstand.

Lifting one hand to smooth through my hair in an unconscious gesture, I speed-dialed a particular number and halted my every movement while I waited for this person to answer.

"_Alright...I know I'm doing this without really clearing it with Jasper first...but...damn...I need to take care of him...I need to do this for him,"_ I mentally told myself as I listened to another ring sound from the other end, before it abruptly ended, signaling our connection, as well as the stoppage to my internal debating.

"_Carlisle Cullen's office. How may I assist your call today?"_ my father's female assistant answered, my hand dropping from my hair as I briefly cleared my throat before speaking.

"_This is Edward Cullen._ _Is my father in?"_ I replied plainly to the assistant, my body slowly turning around in place while I spoke, as I cast my eyes lovingly on the sleeping, comfortable form of my most beloved person in the world, watching his striking features with almost a sense of longing.

"_Of course, Mr._ _Cullen._ _Just one moment..."_ she spoke with a friendly tone in her voice, as she put me on hold for only a few seconds before I heard my father's calm voice speak to me.

"_Hey kiddo._ _How have you been?"_ Carlisle answered with a smile evident in his words, my breath coming out easier as a result of my father's effortless charisma and warmth, and I smiled as well before replying.

"_Hi dad._ _I've been doing really well..."_ I began before steadying my tone, needing to convey just how serious my next words to him truly were to me, as I continued, _"Listen...there's something I need you to_ _look into for me..."_

My eyes never left Jasper's gorgeous face as I relayed my lover's work number to my father along with some instructions, as the view of him continued to strike me as simply extraordinary, how the shards of fresh, white light streamed across his body in tantalizing highlights that brought out his honey locks and sharp cheekbones.

He really did look like a real-life angel meant just for me...and I knew that I was doing the right thing.

X

Approximately forty minutes later, after I had ended my phone conversation with my father, I placed a knee on top of the mattress and leaned over Jasper, personally disliking the idea of waking him up, but also extremely cognizant of the fact that it was getting on in the afternoon and that I needed to make sure he was properly fed.

"Jazz...honey...open those beautiful eyes for me..."I whispered softly across his face, nuzzling my nose against his cheek and ear as I heard him inhale deeply, rousing from his hold on precious sleep, as he hummed a little in his throat and carefully turned his head towards my ministrations.

"Edward..."Jasper purred with a sleepy smile as he pouted his rose-colored lips at me, prompting me to kiss him at once with a gentle but urgent press of my lips against his own as I continued to hover partially over him.

"Baby, I know you need your rest...but are you hungry at all...? Is there anything you need?" I spoke tenderly to him, watching the way he processed my words as he blinked away his tiredness and licked his bottom lip, his legs stretching out on top of the mattress all the while.

"Um...hmm..." Jasper muttered quietly, seeming to have to weigh his options for an adorable moment before he made up his mind and fixed me with a puppy-eyed look that about knocked the wind right out of me, "...could we take a shower first and then eat? I am pretty hungry..."

I smiled broadly at my angel's pleasant requests, being more than happy to see to them both, as I leaned in to give Jasper a quick kiss to his forehead and said, "Of course, sweetheart; anything you want. Here...let me help you..."

I slid my hands along Jasper's uninjured arm and shoulder as I helped him to stand up from the bed, me having to scoot across the width of the mattress so I may also be next to him whence he rose, as I kept my firm grip along his shoulder and stood by his side, watching his expressions for any signs of discomfort all the while.

"You're probably going to have to help me with these..." Jasper said a bit shyly to me as he picked at the hem of his white shirt, frowning a bit at his obvious unfortunate situation, to which I could not help but smile kindly at him.

"Come on...I'll run us both a bath..."I offered as I placed my hand on his bare forearm, sliding my fingers down the taut flesh there until I was able to lace our fingers together so I may gently tug Jasper after me.

We both padded the short distance to the adjacent, lighter-colored bathroom that was designed with more of the almond and white hues to stand out against the chocolate brown, like an opposite image from the coordination of the master bedroom, and I let go of Jasper's hand once I approached the elongated tub so I may adjust the water temperature.

"...ow..."Jasper murmured from behind me, catching my immediate attention as I turned around to face him and saw that he had tried to remove his own shirt by himself.

"...hang on, sweetheart...I got you..." I smirked reassuringly at the way Jasper grimaced at his own annoying pain, as I gathered the length of his shirt in my hands and carefully pulled the garment over his head and slowly down each of his arms, being especially mindful of the cast on his broken arm as I freed him of his undershirt.

"...thanks...God, I feel so useless..."Jasper sighed out sadly, eyes downcast as they followed my hands' ministrations while I unbuttoned Jasper's pants and respectfully helped him step out of them, knowing that I would be collecting his worn work-wear later to wash.

"None of that, Jazz..." I told him, my voice kept pleasantly light as I kept a hand on his wrist and led him to the bathtub, my eyes lingering on a few of the darker bruises that decorated his side as Jasper stepped into the hot, steaming water, "...how's the temperature? It's not too hot, is it?"

"It's perfect..."Jasper practically purred to me as he sat down in the tub, relaxation from his previous bout of pain already smoothing out across his heavenly features as he propped up his cast along the edge of the tub and leaned back against one of the ends of the porcelain fixture.

"Good..." I smiled at him before quickly shedding my own clothes, letting all of them pile next to his own on the tiled bathroom floor, as I solely concentrated on joining my beautiful lover in the water as I slowly stepped in at the opposite end so that he and I could face each other.

"Definitely a good idea...I think it's helping my overall...'blah' feeling..." Jasper attempted to explain to me, his words making me smile once more at him as I settled my legs on either side of him, our knees poking out of the water as the rest of us remained comfortably submerged amidst the tranquilly silent bathroom.

"...'blah' feeling?" I chuckled, noting how Jasper also smirked and nodded at my question, the mood between us becoming much more serene, like something not to be rushed as it was meaningful, powerful in its simplicity meant for us both, "...well, that's good, then...I want you to feel better."

"Hey, Edward..." Jasper began after a moment, his introverted tone telling me just how personal these thoughts had been up until this point with him, and my eyes never wavered from his face as he swallowed hard before continuing, "...what we talked about before...I mean...it doesn't bother you...all the stuff I told you about me? It doesn't bother you that I've spent time in jail...? I want you to be completely honest with me..."

Once Jasper lifted his stunning cobalt eyes to mine, I could see straight away that they were pleading with me to confirm what I had already told him, begging me that such acceptance from me was still true and good, and I could feel my heart expand a little more inside my chest for this man as I spoke my answer to him without even having to think about it.

"I meant everything I said...the only thing I care about is that you're with me now..." I stated, watching for a brief moment as Jasper's face lowered as he perhaps looked at the surface of the water, before my voice, more stern this time with him as I sought to deep-root my meaning within him right now, "...Jasper, look at me."

My angel snapped his curly head up upon hearing my demand, his eyes wide and his lips parted in silent question, and I relaxed my features and offered him a gentle smile while I spread my arms out to him.

"Come here..."I cooed softly to the gorgeous man sitting across from me, observing through my kind, emerald gaze as Jasper complacently scooted closer and closer to me, having to raise up a little out of the water as he settled his weight on top of my thighs, his injured arm still kept out of the way on top of the edge of the tub.

I wrapped my arms around Jasper's lower back, providing him some support as he sat on my lap and looped his legs together behind me, his lean weight on top of me serving as intoxicating bliss in which I subtly lost myself, and it was now that I noticed Jasper breathed easier and lost any residual tension in his muscles, his features, his very aura.

"Jasper, I need to make sure you understand me here..." I continued, absolutely relishing in the natural warmth of his naked body as well as the swirling steam that coiled and caressed all around us both, as Jasper peered intently into my piercing gaze and clung to my every syllable, "...I love you...I want to be there for you. Earlier, you thanked me for coming to get you at the hospital, but you didn't have to...I would have come...no matter what. You said that...you needed me...well, I need you, too, sweetheart."

Jasper looked awestricken, like his brain was unable to form any coherent thoughts as he dwelt and sifted though everything I had just confessed to him, and I used this opportunity of my lover being rendered charmingly speechless to lift up both of my hands to either side of his face and gently take hold of his cheeks against my soaked palms.

Jasper slowly closed his eyes upon being handled with so much intricate care as he leaned into my loving touch, his fingers lightly stroking over the flesh of my forearm, as he simply let me marvel at his ethereal features for a moment, while I, in turn, let him savor this moment of him being cherished for how wonderful he truly was.

"...I...believe you, Edward...I believe you, and...and I barely know what to say..."Jasper whispered the weighty, significant words to me, as he curled his fingers around my arm, literally clutching onto me, delighting me in every possible way, as he opened his emotional, navy-colored eyes and captured what little remained of my heart for his own with his next words to me.

"...I've never felt like this before...these things you say to me...make me feel like I wasn't really living...until I met you..." Jasper blinked his cool, somber eyes at me, what used to be nervousness now appearing only as calm, collected revelation, like he was finally seeing things for what they were for the first time, "...I love you, Edward."

I could feel my senses hesitate from the sheer impact of the purest, most life-saving words I had ever heard suddenly throttling my every nerve ending, before I could feel my systems flare with such beautiful wildfire that made my soul lift through me and bring tears of joy to my eyes.

"...God...s-say it again, baby...please..." I plead, my voice barely over a whisper due to my stuttering breath and fluttering heart, as I unconsciously tightened my hold around Jasper's biceps, feeling my world brighten to impossible levels even more, just as it had when I had first saw Jasper Whitlock that afternoon, as I watched as my angel smiled at my request.

Jasper leaned forward as I slid my hands down his broad back, the water cooling at our waists even though it was the furthest thing from our minds at this moment, this singular, perfect moment which I had prayed for since I had practically learned this man's name, as Jasper ghosted his sweet lips over mine, breathing me in deeply as he closed his sapphire-colored eyes and wrapped his fingers around the back of my neck to keep me close.

"I love you...it took me awhile...hell, I think I was just afraid most of the time, but I love you...so much, Edward; it kills me..."Jasper confessed solemnly, finally pouring out his inner-most emotions to me, but was hastily cut off as I crushed our lips together, having honestly heard enough to make me a happy man for the rest of my life as I purred against his satin mouth.

I groaned softly as I felt Jasper's fingers grip at the short hairs on the back of my neck, his body practically blending into my own from how much courageous, white-hot passion that coursed through us both like symmetrical lightning, the whispers and significance of our mutual love flowing effortlessly between us as I kissed him with everything I had.

Jasper trembled in my arms, his lithe body shivering as he pressed his abdomen flat against my own, each of us dying to get closer to the other as I continued to hold him as tightly as I dared, and I eagerly met another heated, emotional kiss of my lover's petal-soft lips against my own as Jasper mewled quietly in wholesome, amazing euphoria.

It truly is only euphoria one experiences inside the embrace of whom he loves the most, and I was nearly dizzy with the amount of happiness that was finally part of my life.

"Mmn...Ed...Edward..." Jasper cooed to me in between our quickening, desperate kisses, prompting me to redirect my rosy lips to his cheek where I trailed even more scorching, possessive kisses across his strong jaw and cheek, "...is it normal...is it normal to feel like this...like I could just float away...?"

"...like I would ever let you out of my sight now, Mr. Whitlock..." I joked breathlessly against his neck, earning an amused, brilliant smile from my blonde-haired angel, as he buried his own face against my bare shoulder, he and I both merely holding each other, being there for one another...

….loving each other.

I had never felt so fulfilled as a person; so proud of myself that I was finally utilizing all of God's gifts in this world and living my life in the best possible way I knew, as I now had someone to share all of it with, to share...everything with.

This is what it means to be human.

This is what it means...to be alive.

"Jazz..." I spoke in a hushed tone, wise to the knowledge that Jasper might still be quite tired and in need of proper rest, as I raised a hand to the back of Jasper's head, slowly carding my fingers through his wheat-colored curls near my face, as I continued with my thought, "...let's get cleaned up and then I can make you whatever you want to eat."

"...'kay," Jasper agreed cutely, a delighted but slightly sleepy smile in place on his angelic features as he pulled just enough away from me so that I could reach his curly, blonde hair, wetting it with handfuls of water before washing the moist tresses thoroughly with my favorite shampoo, my personal bliss running strong the entire time as I my ever never left Jasper's relaxed, peaceful features so close to my own.

X

A short while later, after Jasper and I had taken our time bathing; the freedom to slow down our lives and simply spend our time leisurely with one another proving to be entirely fulfilling to me as a man in love; I had prepared an early dinner for us, which Jasper had specifically requested.

Enchiladas.

Now, as he and I sat elbow-to-elbow at my dining room table, we only indulged further in our seemingly suspended amounts of time together while I closed my lips around one of his fingers that had gotten quite a bit of sour cream on it, Jasper smiling and blushing at my antics.

I grinned back at him once I let his cleaned finger slide from in between my lips, our noses nearly touching from how close we were as we naturally leaned towards each other, Jasper still chewing his mouthful of food as I placed a quick kiss to his cheek.

Jasper chuckled and lifted his uninjured hand to retrieve his fork once more, but halted mid-movement once my cell phone started ringing inside my pants pocket.

"Crap...just a sec..." I murmured with a little difficulty as I had to jut out my hip so I may be able to pry the small device out of my pocket, another upbeat ring sounding for us to hear, before I hastily answered the call and made to stand up from my spot next to Jasper.

"_Hello?"_ I answered at last, knowing that Jasper's slightly curious but otherwise neutral eyes were on me as he ate more of his meal at the table, while I took a few steps away from him and crossed my free arm over my chest.

"_Hello again, son,"_ my father spoke, his tone relaxed and serious and I could image that he was probably home at such an hour, reclining in his favorite leather chair with a glass of chilled liquor in his hand to take the edge off of working long hours, _"...well, I looked into the things we discussed earlier today, and I'm afraid I have some good news and some bad news."_

"_Bad news first,"_ I nearly cut him off with my urgent reply, me being more than eager to find out what lie in waiting for my beloved Jasper in terms of his job situation.

"_Alright._ _The bad news is that Jasper's motorcycle is completely totaled with no hope of ever seeing the road again,"_ my father explained patiently to me, even though his words made me close my eyes and sigh silently to myself in utter horror, knowing that such information just might be the thing to break Jasper's newly re-energized heart.

"_...I...see...thanks for looking into that._ _What of..."_ I began before shooting a quick glance over my shoulder to a still-seated Jasper who was busy munching away at his dinner of choice, currently scooping up as much Spanish rice as he could on his fork before taking another bite, _"...what of the other matter? Did you call Jasper's work?"_

I had whispered the last part of my question to my father, as I squeezed my arm tighter around myself.

"_Of course, and there in lies the good news I was talking about;"_ my father's infinitely smooth voice seemed to perk up as he continued speaking to me over the phone, _"The company has video tapes of __the whole scene of those two guys confronting Jasper while he was working. I rose a little hell with the big-wigs there and told them that if Jasper missed one day's pay, then they were going to have my whole team and a couple of news crews banging on their front door wanting to ask questions."_

"_So he...still has his job there?_ _He's not fired?"_ I realized a little too late that I had increased my speaking volume, and I automatically looked back towards Jasper again, but only to see him quirking up a confused eyebrow at me, his mouth chewing, before he shook his head and lowered his eyes back towards his plate.

"_Yep, he still has a job._ _As for those two guys who attacked him, I've seen to it personally that they be let go for extreme employee misconduct,"_ my father concluded with a kind smile evident in his tone and I immediately felt an exponentially large portion of all my accumulated worries and anxiety simply vanish upon hearing such an update.

Jasper still had his job at the factory, and those bastard men did not.

"_That's great!"_ I exclaimed before clamping my mouth shut and spinning around in place, just as Jasper was standing up from his chair with his plate in hand, his eyes wide at me from my loud shout, as he mouthed the words _'oh...kay...?'_

I offered him a crooked smirk before waving my hand for him not to mind what I had just said, to which Jasper merely chuckled out loud before continuing with his task of bringing his plate and glass to the sink.

"_Dad...really...thanks for doing this for me._ _I know I haven't...kept in the best of touch with you, but I really appreciate you doing all this,"_ I spoke solemnly to my father, my eyes lowering to the hardwood floor for a moment as I reflected on the harsh truth of my own words.

It was silent on the other line for a second before my father replied.

"_Edward...I was happy to help. I miss seeing you, kiddo, but...from the sounds of things...you seem like you're doing alright,"_ Carlisle offered in kind, his warm words cheering me up tremendously as I smiled brightly and shifted my weight on my feet, my father still always knowing just what to say to embarrass me just a little bit, _"...which, by the way...I was wondering...when do I get to meet this motorcycle-riding, steel-working Jasper H. Whitlock of yours...? He sounds like quite an interesting young man."_

I chuckled right along with my father, both of our laughs sounding remarkably similar, as I sniffed in a bit of air before speaking, knowing that he deserved a real answer for this.

"_Soon, dad; I promise...after he's healed, I want to set something up with the whole family and have him meet everyone._ _I think...it'll be good for me, too..."_ I stated, hearing the water running in the kitchen behind me as Jasper, no doubt, rinsed his plate and glass, and set them aside.

"_That sounds like a plan, then._ _I'm looking forward to seeing you both, son. I'll talk to you soon,"_ my father said happily, which, in turn, made me feel better that I could please him still after all this time.

"_Alright._ _Good-bye, dad..."_ I said with a side-grin before pulling my cell phone away from my ear and pocketing the device once more, heaving a great sigh of relief as the main points of our conversation still swirled in my head, offering me indescribable solace at last about where Jasper stood in terms of his career and livelihood.

"...ooh wuz...'at?" Jasper struggled to voice aloud with his mouth full of another bite of chicken enchilada that he had wrapped up in plastic and was currently storing in the refrigerator.

I turned to face him fully, squaring my shoulders as I waited until Jasper straightened up from sorting through things inside the refrigerator, my eyes smiling even before my lips did at his curious, angelic features directed towards me.

"That was my father," I began, noticing the way Jasper's eyebrows shot up in surprise to my words, as I continued to speak while walking towards him, "...listen...while you were sleeping earlier, I called him...asked him to make a few calls...for you."

"Wait..wait...when was this...?" Jasper furrowed his eyebrows, obviously trying to get a grasp on what I was relaying to him as I stood in front of him, running my hands up and down either of his biceps in a soothing gesture, forever mindful of his broken arm kept in a thick, white cast.

"Earlier this afternoon...you were still pretty out of it...oh, yeah, that reminds me...now that we've had dinner, you can take your medicine. Are you in any pain at all?" I asked as my thoughts naturally flowed in such a way to be concerned for Jasper above all else, my question already earning a small nod from my beloved angel as he grimaced a bit.

"Yeah...I could definitely use one..." Jasper said with a bit of remorse as he and I both navigated to the kitchen counter, him picking up his glass of water while I fetched his pill bottle for pain medication and unscrewed the cap.

"Here you go, sweetheart," I spoke quietly as I dropped the white pill into his palm which he smoothly lifted up to his mouth and gulped down with some water.

"Alright, now let's..." Jasper spoke around clearing his throat upon swallowing his medicine as he first gestured towards the living room before finishing his sentence, "...go into the other room and talk about this."

I nodded in acquiescence to Jasper's request and the two of us padded into the adjacent main room to sit down, both of us remaining close which made me feel bolder in disclosing the dark and light details to Jasper, as I was thankful that he was not trying to put any distance, even a little, in between us.

Settling down on the expansive, black couch with Jasper by my side, I cleared my throat as I gathered my thoughts and placed a firm hand on top of Jasper's knee before speaking.

"Alright, here it goes," I began somewhat lamely, admittedly nervous about delving into such sensitive subjects with my lover but knowing wholly that telling him everything was necessary, as I said a brief, internal prayer that Jasper would not be angry that I went behind his back in doing all of this in the first place, "...I asked my father to call the factory as well as...your...insurance company...about your...motorcycle..."

"Uh-huh..." Jasper said as he concentrated on my face, reading my eyes and the movements of my mouth, as he continued, "...and...what did they say? Did you find out about Bella?"

I internally winced from Jasper's last question, the words having rushed enthusiastically out of his mouth as he had obviously begun understanding what I was trying to tell him.

"Yeah...I did, baby...it's...not good..." I felt Jasper's pain as if it were my own as I witnessed my angel's face dropping at my words, his eyes lowering listlessly to the space in between us as I broke the news to him that his beloved Italian motorcycle had been ruined in his accident.

"I am so sorry, sweetheart; I wish it wasn't true...I am so sorry..." I rambled on as I grasped Jasper's hand inside my own, squeezing his fingers as I inched closer to him, hating the sadness I could see in him.

"It's my own fault...I...just...God, this sucks..." Jasper lamented to me, keeping his hold strong on my hand, as he closed his eyes and turned his head towards me, jagged distress clearly riddling through him at the moment as I offered him comfort.

"I have some good news, though...great news, actually..." I voiced to my aching angel, desperate to see him pleased once more, to see his brilliant, life-stopping smile and shine in his cobalt eyes, as Jasper picked up his head to properly look upon me.

"You still have your job at the factory; I made absolute sure of it. You're not fired...not in any kind of trouble...nothing..." I explained with a growing smile, loving and feeling my own relief swell inside my chest at the way Jasper seemed to gain a little more hope and confidence back with every one of my positive words to him, "...what those bastards did was caught on tape. James and Jacob were fired today!"

"Holy shit...!" Jasper breathed, his stunned words making me chuckle as I reached my free hand up to cup one side of his gorgeous face, Jasper's eyes were wide as he looked like he had just received a blessing as his words sounded like he had actually dodged a bullet or two, "...I...I can't believe it...I still have my job? Are you totally sure? Like...you're sure sure?"

I could not help but laugh at Jasper's antics, his honest surprise and humility completely melting me to the core as I squeezed his hand inside my own once more and leaned even closer to him, letting my begging lips touch his as I cooed my next words to him.

"I'm sure, Jazz...I'm so happy for you...things are going to work out; I promise..." I whispered as I brushed the pad of my thumb across his regal cheekbone, savoring how easily I was able to calm someone so fiery with my words and touches, as I could feel him relax against my fingers and palm and breathe softly against my lips.

"Edward...I love you so much...you've already done so much for me...more than anyone I've ever known...you blow my fucking mind, Edward Cullen..." Jasper purred to me in between his gentle, barely-there kisses that drove me just as crazy as his blood-racing words that filled my ears, my heart.

"...anything..."I managed to murmur to him as I kissed him with even more amazing force, feeling his bittersweet joy for myself as Jasper practically buzzed with emotion right in front of me, the candy-sweet intensity of his kisses proving to me his ultimate gratitude and devotion to me as a person eternally close to him, and I could not help but treasure that revelation even more than anything else at this moment, "...I told you...I'd do anything for you, baby...anything to keep you smiling...I love you, too..."

Jasper wrapped both of his arms around me this time, seemingly uncaring of any pain he may or may not have felt from the movement as he hugged me close, his lips still pushing heavily against my own before the two of us opened our mouths and let our sensitive tongues swirl together in sultry, fluid motion.

"Mmh...mmn...nnh..." Jasper hummed against my mouth, the sounds of his cotton-soft pleasure filling my senses and adding meaning to my life as I hungrily swallowed each of his soft groans of approval of the way I kissed his lips, as I gingerly wrapped my arms around his waist.

Then, after another hot flick of his tongue against the tip of mine, Jasper pressed his lips to mine once more before just barely pulling away, both of us panting quietly for air as he kept his arms secured around my neck and shoulders, his next words already glistening in his half-lidded eyes and the small smile curving his tempting mouth before they were even spoken aloud.

"Thank you, Edward...I mean it. Don't tell me I don't have to thank you, because I really do..." my blonde-haired lover professed passionately to me, holding me close and making my whole life be about this day with him right now, "...I don't know what I'd do without you...and I don't want to know..."

"Trust me..."I smiled as I spoke to my most beloved person, kissing his luscious lips chastely before continuing, enjoying the calm, open atmosphere around us as Jasper loosened his embrace around me until he could run his hands down the front of my shoulders, "...that's something you won't ever have to worry about. I love you...far too fucking much to be considered sane in some cultures...and you will never have to face anything alone again...big or small, I'm there."

Jasper chuckled at my comment, the both of us smiling as our noses touched affectionately, my fingers automatically trailing up and down his sides, before the both of us naturally gravitated towards each other in an enriching embrace, Jasper sighing in unbelievable tranquility as he rested his cheek on my shoulder, and I absolutely loved how he was able to find such serenity here with me.

"Jazz...?"my voice sounded quietly, my lone word tenderly coasting through the otherwise silence of my home, as I turned my face towards the side of his neck, breathing in his clean, spicy scent I had come to adore, as his longer, curled tresses tickled my cheek and nose.

"Was is it, baby? You know you can tell me anything..." Jasper responded just as softly as my words to him had been, my lover's increasing tiredness due to his prescription medicine becoming more and more evident to me, as I could feel his muscles relax against my frame as if he could drift asleep right as we were.

I smiled at Jasper's encouraging words, feeling him nuzzle his face a little more against my shoulder, as he tightened his hold around me, waiting for my finished thought.

"...move in with me," I spoke, purposefully not wording my thought as a question to him, as my lips had moved against the sensitive flesh of his neck, my spoken words having moved a few strands of his gold-colored hair, and I held my breath after I had pronounced my last syllable.

I felt Jasper swallow before I heard his voice.

"...okay."

I really had been only waiting for this day to arrive; everything else had just been me and Jasper sleeping...

X

_Author's Note: _...I have a question. Should I write one more chapter, which would wrap up the whole kit-n-kaboodle...OR write a few more chapters, where I try to add in something else for our boys to work through and overcome? Any thoughts, comments, questions, ideas...let me know in a review, yes? Thanks, fans!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_Third Person POV_

Twenty-seven days later...

"Heh heh...Jas...oof! Jasper...what's gotten into you, baby...?" Edward could not help but laugh with a blinding smile on his handsome face, as his similarly smiling lover playfully pushed him back on top of their lavish bed, the latter already moving to straddle the bronze-haired male's long legs.

"...you...well, you will, anyway..." Jasper responded cheekily to the question as he wasted no time in taking hold of the bottom hem of his dark blue shirt and pulling the garment over his head, his suggestive, smoky words and actions instantly making an observant Edward draw his bottom lip in between his teeth as if seeing his lover acting this way somehow brought him physical pain to be felt.

"...mmn...if you keep this up, baby..." Edward growled the words that were left trailing off, his eyes shamelessly tracing over the seductive lines of perfectly shaped muscle and sinew that formed Jasper's immaculate torso as the blonde-haired man lowered his weight on top of him, their expectant lips immediately coming together in a staggering, desirable kiss.

Edward shivered briefly upon feeling his wanton lover fluidly unbutton his dress shirt from his chest, eager to part the sleek material so he may begin exposing Edward's body to him as well, as Jasper nipped at his boyfriend's red satin lips before moving his kisses down Edward's throat.

"...nng...Jazz..." Edward breathed his lover's endearing nickname, love coating his every pant for air and rush of adrenaline as he felt Jasper's hands push his shirt completely off of his shoulders as Edward complacently lifted his arms from the bed so that the task could be done, the financial advisor trembling with building, soothing need for his partner that edged closer and closer to something with more crushing fire to consume him with the way Jasper descended down his body with those sweet lips of his.

"Ohh...sh-shit...Jasper...damn..." Edward murmured shakily, his slender hands sifting endlessly though wheat-colored tresses as the latter male trailed red-hot, open-mouthed kisses lower down his taut abdomen, Jasper practically worshiping the sensitive flesh there with his lips and tongue as his hands made quick work of unfastening Edward's black jeans.

Lifting his lips away from Edward's glistening stomach for only a moment while he pried the bronze-haired male's pants from his waist, Jasper cast his lustful, blue gaze directly into Edward's burning green eyes, the Texan fully enjoying the view of his lover lying on his back and looking as if he might devour him in seconds from the maddeningly wonderful foreplay he had been made to endure thus far.

"Edward..."Jasper whined with a wickedly sexy smirk curving his lips at him, his hands roaming heavily over either of Edward's thighs as he teased his fingers across his narrow hips, purposefully letting his lover see just how close his luscious mouth was to his thick erection.

"...Jazz...Jesus Christ...have mercy on...ahh...f-fuck yes..." Edward had begun to plead with his tortuously sensual lover before moaning his pleasure as his auburn head fell back amongst his pillows whence Jasper obligingly closed his lips around the swollen tip of Edward's cock, squeezing the silken flesh inside his warm mouth as he ran his tongue over the leaking tip.

"...nnh...mmm..."Jasper hummed around the wide head of his lover's member, tasting Edward's smooth precome before gently grazing his teeth across the pronounced ridge, giving Edward just enough of a hint of pain to make him hiss in between his teeth and shift his hips in a blind, desperate search for more.

Sapphire orbs glinting with such vibrant passion for the man before him currently being riddled with bouts of excruciating pleasure from the way Jasper massaged his tongue into the underside of Edward's solid shaft, the recently healed factory worker poured all of his internal gratitude and deep-rooted love for everything Edward had done for him as he enthusiastically moved his lips up and down his boyfriend's entire length, practically making love to the pulsating organ with his mouth as he lost himself in the breathless cries that Edward voiced as a result.

"Fuck, Jazzy...holy fucking...ugh...you're going to make me come, baby...ooh...so bad...I'm about to come..."Edward panted and purred the words, his naked abdomen flexing deliciously every time he writhed atop his expansive, chocolate-brown bedding, his fingers still buried wantonly in the longer lengths of Jasper's curly hair as he used his hold on his lover's head to direct the pace in which the fiery Texan took him into his wet, suckling mouth again and again.

Jasper growled low in his throat upon hearing his lover's sinfully sweet words to him, knowing that the vibrations would only stimulate Edward's moving, sliding length all the more, as he allowed his green-eyed lover to fuck his cock into his mouth as rapidly as he pleased, Jasper pawing and gripping encouragingly at Edward's trim sides and stomach all the while.

"...mmn...I love it...I love it, Jazzy...I love it when you suck my cock...ooh...God...so good...feels so fucking good..." Edward spoke mindlessly to his bobbing, concentrating lover currently settled in between his spread thighs on their bed, Jasper coaxing his kindhearted boyfriend with his every action to reach an apex of pleasure with him like this, as Jasper obediently relaxed his throat to receive everything Edward had for him.

Feeling the way Edward was bucking into his mouth with unabashed vigor, feeling the way that Edward's glorious cock swelled even more from base to tip, Jasper hurriedly brought a hand to Edward's balls and gently tugged the highly-receptive flesh, rolling them in between his fingers in such a way that he knew would have his lover seeing colorful stars behind his eyes.

Edward arched his back off of the bed, his bronze locks buried amongst his many, overstuffed pillows as he moaned loudly for Jasper, his resolve to hold on even a second longer shattering beautifully as he gave his very soul over to the impossibly overwhelming sensations of Jasper's mouth and tongue bringing him pleasure and peace on this earth.

"...haa...coming, baby...coming...ohh...my God...I'm coming right now..."Edward gasped the euphoric words as his extraordinary body shivered while he arched once more, his engorged member erupting his milky fluid down Jasper's swallowing throat as the blonde-haired male brought his lips to the head and felt Edward pulse against his tongue with each wave of his orgasm that ripped through his lover's systems and clouded with mind with such indescribable felicity that made Edward swear he had just glimpsed the heavens.

Jasper dragged his tongue heavily over the tip of Edward's cock once his lover had finished spilling his essence into his mouth, before languidly crawling on top of Edwad's heaving, dazed form now lying bonelessly atop the cloud-like mattress and sheets, his jade-colored eyes merely staringly at the ceiling for a moment before locking fiercely onto his boyfriend's smirking face.

"I think somebody liked..." was all Jasper could attempt to taunt his boyfriend before being suddenly rolled over so that Edward could hover above him, peering down at Jasper's smiling, delighted face with narrowed green eyes that spoke of amazing promises of blissful retaliation.

Edward said nothing, only a significant side-grin curving his lips at his handsome lover, as he swiftly removed Jasper's jeans as well, uncaring of where they landed once they slipped off the side of the bed, as the financial advisor immediately took Jasper's straining erection in hand and gave the warm flesh a firm, commanding squeeze.

Jasper made a gruff noise in his throat, his cobalt eyes widening a bit at the sudden pressure to his most sensitive flesh, as he slowly sat up so that he and Edward were eye level, both of their bared, slender forms practically mirroring one another, as Edward's determined expression never left his stunning face as he leisurely ran his thumb over the moistened tip of his lover's begging cock.

"...mmm...Edward, please..." Jasper breathed the words, beginning to bring his own hands to Edward's so that he could join in pleasuring his cock, but only to notice that Edward let his fingers release his swollen member once he had reached too close.

"Move up...I need to get behind you, baby..." Edward directed in a spine-tingling, no-nonsense voice to his lover, who only took a short second to process what had been asked of him before moving onto all fours and crawling forward on the bed, granting Edward's request with an excited lick to his petal-soft lips.

Edward seamlessly moved behind his lover, sitting up straight on top of the mattress with his back leaning comfortably against the cushioned headboard, as he spread his legs wide before speaking to Jasper once more.

"You bring that sexy ass back over here, Whitlock..." Edward ordered with a cheeky smile, watching as Jasper pursed his enticing lips at him from over his shoulder, blue eyes narrowing as the purpose of Edward's commands were becoming clearer to him, as he felt both of Edward's hands lightly grip either side of his waist to help him inch closer.

"...nnh..."Jasper hummed as he closed his eyes, truly enjoying the feeling of Edward's piano-fine hands roaming appreciatively across his lower back, as he could feel his auburn-haired lover leaning his weight forward a bit before feeling lips as soft as powder begin pressing kiss after kiss to the curves of his ass.

"...ooh...damn..."Jasper breathed automatically, his need for air increasingly exponentially as he felt Edward use his thumbs to spread open his cheeks, his kisses slowly coming to a stop as Edward brought out his warm, soft tongue and began lapping erotically as Jasper's exposed, puckered flesh.

"Ahh! Edward...oh fuck me...ohh...shit...!" Jasper stuttered out the words to his lover as Edward languidly coated Jasper's hole with his saliva, lubricating the receptive flesh there with mind-shattering swirls of his tongue that had Jasper squirming within his grasp before the green-eyed male abruptly shoved his moist muscle deep inside his boyfriend, wholly treasuring just how loudly he could make Jasper shout to the white-painted ceiling whilst his beautiful body was overcome with remarkable, toe-curling sensations.

In and out, Edward penetrated his moaning, mewling lover with his tongue two, three more times, before hastily removing his lips from Jasper's trembling body in favor of quickly slipping a few of his fingers in his own mouth to moisten them as well.

"Jasper...moan for me, baby...I want to hear just how good I make you feel..." Edward demanded with gravelly sex lining his every word, his sentence coming to a finish just as he slid two fingers inside Jasper's dripping entrance, immediately feeling his lover tense up from the intrusion but only to quickly relax his every hard-earned muscle along with the blood-racing sounds that flowed passed his velvet lips.

"Ohh...Edward...Edward, yes...God, yes...feels so good...you always make me feel fucking amazing...mmn...I can't...haa...I can't wait to have you fuck me with your cock..." Jasper confessed in pleasantly accented, seductive words that made Edward groan with a tilt of his coppery head as he stretched and prepared his lover with his fingers, loving the addictive feeling of Jasper's textured insides that squeezed and fluttered around his probing digits, as if Jasper's body was begging him sweetly for more.

"Goddamn, Jazz...so fucking sexy..." Edward muttered, more to himself than to his gasping lover before him, his cock hardening with even more devastating need in between his thighs, as he could only manage to watch as Jasper tossed his golden head back in pleasure one more time, before he quickly removed his fingers from Jasper's entrance so that he may latch his hands onto either of Jasper's hips.

Jasper slowly rose up off of his hands, Edward's possessive grip on either of his narrow hips guiding him backwards until Jasper's back was pressed against Edward's strong chest and his perfect, tempting ass was poised directly above his lover's straining erection.

"Hold onto something, sweetheart...hold on..." Edward buried his nose and lips against the side of Jasper's neck as he purred the words to him, his instructions immediately making Jasper lift his toned, scarred arms up so that he may grasp at the top of the headboard behind them both, his elbows pointing upwards as he let Edward carefully lower him down onto his aching lap.

Jasper hissed in between his teeth the moment he felt the steady pressure of the wide, slippery head of Edward's cock pushing at his entrance, but sighed out his tension once the swollen flesh slide passed his ring of muscles and begin easing more and more inside of him, filling him up and making him groan with increasing heat and wonderful passion raging through him like uncontrollable, magnificent wildfire claiming every inch of him.

Edward wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's stretching abdomen, Jasper's fingers unconsciously tightening along the headboard as he ground his ass wantonly down against Edward's groin, the act making both men moan out loud in brain-warping pleasure that seemed to radiate brightly within the entire room as they steadied for a moment before moving.

"Jasper...I love you so much...I love you...God...you feel so hot, baby...mmm...I love being inside of you..." Edward groaned the delicious words that he knew would sizzle right though Jasper's ever fiber, as he felt the factory worker shiver drastically in his arms, their bodies naturally falling into a measured rhythm of push and pull as Jasper slowly raised his ass off of Edward's groin but only so that both men could thrust their bodies back against one another.

"Haa...Edward...Edward, I love you, too...fuck, keep going...ahh...I love you...Edward..." the sensual words dripped from Jasper's parted lips as he gave more and more of himself over to the unbearably erotic slide taking place between them, Jasper grinding his ass against Edward's throbbing member every time his lover thrust his hips up into him so that his cock stabbed deep inside of his entrance in such a manner that about had Jasper forgetting his own name.

Their pace of making love was unbelievably leisured, colored richly with the raw lust they felt for each other, making their movements slow and powerful that had Jasper crying out each time Edward practically violently thrust his rigid member inside of him, reaching far inside of his lover that had Jasper arching his back against his chest in soul-enriching pleasure, tossing his curly head from side to side as he filled the afternoon-illuminated bedroom with his desperate, intoxicating moans that had Edward absolutely drowning in his transcendent need for the other man.

Edward trailed his hands down Jasper's flat stomach until he could wrap his fingers around his lover's weeping member, his touches bursting with his unbridled fascination and genuine desire to please the other, as he began furiously stroking Jasper's cock against his palm, the piano player forever feeling a sense of unwavering yearning to witness Jasper in full abandon to everything else excecpt for the wonderment only he was able to make him experience.

"Ohh...yes...please, Edward...oh my God...please...don't stop...it feels too good...!" Jasper whimpered to his lover, his voice carrying a slight strain from being aroused and pleasured for so long without having yet met an inevitable end, and it was only after Edward heard Jasper's words that he picked up his pace of digging his member in and out of his lover's writhing body atop his own while he pumped Jasper's swollen member faster inside of his hand.

The bronze-haired male moaned into honey-colored tresses as he continued to cling to Jasper's glistening, porecelain body bouncing slightly on top of his lap, the pure rapture it was of having Jasper's creamy insides clenching rapidly along his length all but consuming his mind and senses to a point where he had no choice but to forfeit his acknowledgment of anything else, and Edward could feel another orgasm building tremendously in the pit of his stomach every time Jasper ground his supple ass firmly against his thrusts.

"...close, sweetheart...ha...ooh...Jesus...just a little longer...and then I'll be coming inside of you..." Edward growled the heated words, watching as Jasper initially bit his bottom lip at the sensual promise of being filled with his lover's essence once more, before the factory worker was practically forced to release his lip from his white teeth as he voiced his ecstasy in louder, legato moans that sang in the empty space of the room and spoke of his remarkable struggle with the heavenly pleasure that Edward continued to give him in glorious folds that swarmed over him like an engulfing, tangible fog.

Jasper's navy-colored eyes suddenly went wide, the surrealistic edge he had been nearing having abruptly crumbled into nothing as the blonde-haired man immediately felt his impending release squeeze mercilessly at his groin and heat his racing blood all the more, the vastly overpowering sensations all but controlling his every fiber, before he quickly found his voice and closed his eyes.

"Ohh...Ed...Edward...Edward...EDWARD!" Jasper screamed white staggering, white-hot passion flooding his words, dropping his hands from the headboard so that he could grab and squeeze at Edward's well-muscles thighs on either side of him, his back arching again and again against Edward's rigid chest, as he tipped his curly, blonde head back to lie on top of Edward's shoulder and let his lover's stroking hand pump out line after line of his transclusent essence that spattered erotically along the insides of his thighs and lower abdomen.

"That's right, baby...I love seeing you come...ohh...fuck...Jasper..." Edward purred with ravenous fire in his tone, green eyes intently watching as Jasper scratched his nails down either of Edward's thighs whilst he trembling in his lover's arms, the aftershocks of his commanding release continuing to softly pull at Jasper's body and mind as he felt Edward slip his slick fingers from his member so that he may press his palm flat against Jasper's stomach while he need thrust a few more times before reaching his end as well.

"Jasper...haa...love you so fucking much...so much, Jazz...ahh...!" Edward moaned hoarsely as he tipped his auburn head back against the brown, cushioned headboard, his hands securely holding onto his sated lover, as he finally let the sharp, nearly painful naggings of his release flow divinely from him in multiple bursts of creamy fluid that had Edward quaking with unfathomable relief as he experienced his ultimate elation with the person he loved most in this world and the next.

Both men remained as they were for a moment, both panting heavily as they fought to catch their breath, before Jasper lazily draped his arms on top of Edward's that were still loosely wrapped around his torso, their exhausted, pleased bodies and minds effortlessly melding together in a comfortable haze where neither moved and spoke for a while...neither man having to.

Their breathing settled and natural between them, Edward lifted one of his hands to Jasper's chin, gently turning his lover's angelic face towards his own before he finally spoke, the air and ambience currently swirling around solely them bringing gratifying peace, motionless calm, and heartwarming love to be savored.

"Jazz...I've never been happier in my whole life...than when I'm with you...just like this..." Edward whispered the quiet yet significant confession to his lover currently being cradled inside his arms, the entirety of the world existing merely inside their own home being completely serene and mending, soothing in its simple caresses and softly-spoken words of adoration, and Jasper smiled.

"...good, because I love it, too..." Jasper replied with a smile,

Edward grinned at his lover's response, tightening his embrace around him as he lowered his own chin to rest on top of Jasper's bare shoulder.

"You know what...?" Jasper prompted with a cheerful smile in his tone, something that had quickly become one of Edward's favorite things to live for as his grin easily turned into a bright smile.

"What's that?" the bronze-haired male gladly provided Jasper the opportunity to continue with his thought, as the Texan carefully leaned his weight forward, taking his back off of Edward's chest as he stretched his strong arms out in front of him for a moment.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting your family tomorrow," Jasper said to Edward, loving, genuine sweetness filling his words as he looked at his lover from over his shoulder, his curly hair in adorable disarray as he smirked and stretched some more.

Edward could not help the crooked grin that curved his lips at Jasper's endearing words, the financial advisor more than wise to the knowledge that such a gesture meant quite a lot to his lover whom had not had any familyof his own a very long time, and the bronze-haired male swiftly leaned forward to capture Jasper in his arms once more, hugging him tightly to his chest this time.

"They're going to love you, baby...I know this because I do. Besides...we've been together for almost three months...I think it's time they met the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with," Edward offered to his lover as he felt Jasper run the pads of his fingertips over his bracing forearms, the gesture soothing and simple, perfect in every way to Cullen at the moment.

"Hm...thanks for saying that...but, there is just one thing..." Jasper continued speaking, his change in tone making Edward cast his striking jade eyes directly into Jasper's lovely profile whilst he regarded him and the curious way he had trailed off.

"...you're definitely going to have to help me pick out what I'm wearing," Jasper concluded his little bit of good-natured jest with his lover, the factory worker feeling his lover behind him immediately breathe out his amused laughter before Edward placed a chaste kiss to his temple.

"You just need to be yourself...they'll love you no matter what, Jazz," Edward promised his lover with a kind smile, absolutely charmed with their post-coital conversation about the important, following day about which he also was quite excited.

It had been too long since Edward had spent time with his father and family, and now that he had Jasper by his side, he could not wait to reconnect with them all over again; a fresh start.

X

The next day, at the Cullen residence in upstate Illinois...

"Okay...okay...no nerves...it's all...I can do this...no problem..." Edward heard Jasper chanting quietly to himself as they both stepped out of the Volvo and onto the wide, paved driveway of his father's beautifully designed, stained wood and glass home that overlooked much of the man-made lake below them.

"Wow...this place is gorgeous..." Jasper commented to Edward as he gaped at the tall, modern walls that framed huge panes of windows that offered the impressive home with strong shapes to catch the eye, as the latter male stepped around the back of the vehicle and approached the blonde from behind, swiftly wrapping his arms around his lover with a smile gracing his features.

"There's no reason for you to be nervous, sweetheart...now, come on...are you ready?" Edward asked his boyfriend with positivism in his every word, glad whence he felt Jasper relax into his comforting touch before the both of them naturally stood up straighter, both feeling more than prepared to let their relationship be known to Edward's family...both men...wanting the people important to Edward to be important to Jasper as well.

"Yeah...I'm ready," Jasper smiled brilliantly as they stood side by side and intertwined one set of their fingers together.

Edward felt his chest swell with pride that his lover was being so brave and welcoming for him, his grip tightening affectionately on Jasper's hand, as they both began walking across the pavement to the cobblestone walkway that lead up to the few steps to the front door.

Before they reached the steps, Edward turned his head towards his boyfriend as they walked casually, his crooked smirk evident on his face, as he took in how well Jasper's smoke-grey, long-sleeved shirt brought out the lighter color of his honey-blonde hair as well as the darker, bolder color of his sapphire eyes that perfectly matched his jeans.

Jasper looked truly handsome, as if he had stepped right out of the pages of a magazine, and Edward, clad smartly in a thin, light-blue shirt and black knit jacket was exceedingly grateful that someone so magnificent was with him right now, caring about him, loving him, wanting to meet his family with him...

Just as the pair of them had finished climbing the stone steps, the front door suddenly swung open, revealing a small, pixie-sized young woman with dark, short-styled hair and bright, smiling eyes.

"Oh my God; you're finally here!" Alice Cullen, dressed in a tasteful white dress shirt and black skirt with matching stockings, exclaimed vibrantly as she leapt at Edward, squeezing her arms around his neck and shoulders fiercely as Edward made a mock-choking sound even though he was chuckling at her antics.

"Air...Ali...I can't breathe...!" Edward began with a smile at his younger sister as she released him from her crushing hug, the pixie practically bouncing on her feet as she quickly directed her child-like gaze to the beautiful, blonde-haired male beside her brother, "...let me introduce you...to Jasper Whitlock. Jasper...this is my baby sister, Alice."

Jasper smiled at the slight woman as he gently retrieved one of her clasped hands, him having to lean down quite a bit as he brought the back of her tiny hand to his lips.

"Pleasure to meet you, Alice," Jasper said to the gaping, stunned female, her mouth hanging open in spite of the way she was obviously smiling and blushing, as the Texas-born gentleman kissed her hand before politely letting go.

"...holy crap...!" Alice stated, her words instantly making Edward laugh out loud, the bronze-haired Cullen being all-too familiar with just how well Jasper's charms actually worked, as he fully enjoyed watching as his sister just continued to stare openly at Jasper for a moment.

"Man, oh man...why do you have to be gay? There's no justice in the world! I'd give my right arm for a hunk of a guy like you!" Alice rambled suddenly as she threw her hands up in the air, Edward already moving passed her so he and Jasper may enter the house, as he reached a hand back towards a now slightly speechless Jasper.

"Too bad, squirt; I got 'im first..." Edward teased his younger sister who pouted theatrically as she closed the door and followed behind them both as Edward lead Jasper directly into the spacious kitchen where he knew someone particularly significant would be.

Jasper murmured a quiet 'whoa' to himself as he turned his curly head towards the room-wrapping main sitting area where modern black couches and wooden furniture offered striking, bold colors that contrasted well with the white and honey tones of the walls and yet at the same time brought out the much darker hues that were prominent in many of the elegant artworks that almost acted as a perimeter around such extravagant space.

Edward's hand firmly holding onto his own and directing him towards a specific room, Jasper had to abandon gazing at the awe-inspiring living room in favor of turning his attention to the kitchen, where the small flashes of honey and gold colors from the living room seemed to make up most of the design in this area, coloring the rows of cabinets as well as the decorative wooden items perched along the clean, granite countertops.

However, the factory worker only allowed himself a brief second to notice the warm, inviting tones of the grand kitchen, perhaps even in the whole house, as he fixed his gaze on a gently smiling male with soft blonde hair kept tamed away from his slightly aged, regal-looking face.

"Son...I'm so glad you made it. And you must be Jasper..." Carlisle Cullen, dressed in a light-beige sweater and simple black pants, spoke tenderly as he extended his hands out a little as he watched as Edward and Jasper entered into the kitchen, Carlisle having moved from around the large island within the middle of the room.

"Yes, sir...it's...great to finally meet you..." Jasper said a bit nervously, his cobalt eyes watching with a bit of worry as Carlisle continued to approach him, Edward grinning knowingly off by his boyfriend's side, as the older gentleman smoothly embraced Jasper in a warm hug.

"You are also my son now, Jasper...please, call me Carlisle," the lawyer stated with miraculous compassion in his tone, his very aura, as he slowly released Jasper from his hug so he may look upon him once more.

Jasper blinked at Edward's father's understanding face, but only to quickly realize that as soon as he did so, he felt moisture trailing down his cheek.

"Sorry...I...I don't know why I'm crying...all of a sudden..." Jasper muttered hurriedly as he used the cuff of his sleeve to dap at his eyes, cheek, and chin, but only to receive another, great hug from Carlisle.

Behind them, Alice rested her hand along Edward's forearm, both of them smiling quietly at the scene taking place before them, both of them with heavy hearts.

"Come now...let's have you meet the rest of the family. They're all eager to see you," Carlisle offered to Jasper with a disarming smile as he slung an arm around Jasper's shoulders and began guiding the both of them out of the kitchen and back towards the living room, Edward able to see his lover's adorable dimpled smile all the while.

The moment that Carlisle had lead Jasper passed Alice and Edward, Alice nearly jittery with joy by her brother's side; Edward turned to the pixie with a psuedo-confused look on his face, a joke tingling on his tongue to say aloud.

"Didn't that just melt your whole heart just now? God, I thought I was going to pass out! Dad totally loves him!" Alice bumbled ridiculously comically at Edward, making him chuckle and almost forget the humorous statement he wanted to make to her.

"I definitely noticed...now, I'm wondering...is it wrong that I'm a little jealous...?" Edward joked with his sister who quickly burst into a fit of chipper laughter, pleasing her older brother that his try at jest had went over so well, as they both also navigated towards the living room to catch up with Carlisle and Jasper.

"Ah...there they are," Carlisle announced as his second son, Riley, along with his wife Rosalie finished trotting down the set of floating stairs and ventured into the living room to join everyone.

"Ha...look who decided to show up! It's been a minute, Eddie..." Riley, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and jeans, jabbed playfully at his older brother with an infectious smile spreading across his face, and was quickly met with Edward approaching him with a cheeky smirk adorning his own pale features.

"Hey you guys...when did you get in?" Edward asked the married pair as he and Riley gave each other a quick hug, followed by a hearty pat to Riley's back from his brother.

"Just last night;" Edward's absolutely elegant and poised sister-in-law, Rosalie, answered, as she used her manicured fingertips to straighten the wide sleeves of her sophisticated, baby-blue silk blouse that allowed her to showcase a stunning pearl necklace, "...you look well, Edward. It certainly has been a while since we've last seen you."

"You're right; I'm definitely going to have to come visit you guys in Vermont some time soon," Edward admitted a bit shyly before squaring his shoulders, his chin lifting in evident happiness and pride before continuing, "...Riley...Rosalie...I would like you both to meet my boyfriend...Jasper...the love of my life."

Jasper smiled as he lowered his eyes in endearing embarrassment, easily sliding in close to Edward's side who wrapped an arm securely around his waist before placing a gentle kiss to his cheek, prompting Jasper to lift his sapphire gaze to meet the gracious gazes of Edward's younger brother and his wife.

"How's it going, man? Welcome to the family," Riley chimed in with an effortless grin, extending a hand towards Jasper who naturally took it inside his own and welcomed the warm greeting, both men honestly obliged to meet the other.

"Thanks... nice to meet you," Jasper spoke around his brilliant smile to Riley, noticing that while Edward's jaw was more pronounced, a trait most likely taken from his deceased mother, he and Riley both shared the same smoldering green eyes, before the Texan directly his gaze towards the striking woman with long, platinum blonde hair that was kept in long, clean layers across her shoulders and down her back.

"Jasper, dear? Yes, you...come with me now," Rosalie's silken voice carried through the room as she slipped away from her husband and looped an arm around one of Jasper's, turning her slate-colored eyes back towards Riley and Edward as a small smile curved her lips at them both, "...I'd like to get to know the man who finally brought Edward out of his shell."

Riley chuckled and clapped a blushing Edward on his shoulder in good fun, but it was Jasper's voice that sounded first.

"On the contrary, ma'am...it was Edward who brought me out of mine," Jasper thoughtfully correctly Rosalie's comment, a knowing side-grin gracing his features, as Edward's gaze locked onto his own for a solid moment before his sister-in-law politely steered them both to the couches to sit and chat, and Edward could not help but smile broadly from the amount of self-worth that had suddenly coursed through him from his lover's meaningful words meant for only him to understand.

X

_Author's Note:_ Aww...right? XD Okay, I must come clean about something. I just now realized that I used Emmett as both Edward's brother and then later as his co-worker, soooo I went back and changed Emmett to Riley in chapter one. TA-DAH! Fixed...whew. Just one more chapter left...and then that should do it! Huzzah!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Jasper's POV_

Six months later...

"Are your eyes closed? Hey! I said no peeking!" Edward instructed me as he held tight onto my hand, leading me with measured footsteps out of our house and across the front lawn.

"They're closed, they're closed! Jeeze...I'm just trying not to fall in the dirt here," I joked along with my lover as he and I took a few more steps that switched from soft grass to hard pavement, putting us out in the street, I surmised even though I currently could not see.

"I won't let you fall; I promise," Edward told me with a gorgeous smile evident in his positive words to me, his grip tightening on my free hand as he finally brought our small venture to a stop.

"Are we there yet?" I joked again, smiling behind my hand that covered my eyes, as I felt Edward promptly let go of my fingers, followed by me hearing him walk forward a little more before turning around.

"Alright, Jazz...open your eyes..." Edward's cool, velvet voice sounded above the few, faint cars that drove down the main road that connected to ours some ways down, and I quickly blinked open my eyes as per his command.

There, sitting handsomely next to Edward's smirking form, was a brand new black and red-designed Ducati Monster motorcycle, with a staggering 796 engine, beautiful LED taillights, signature Monster trellis, and the unmistakeable cast aluminum rear sub-frame that provided the overall concept of the sleek, simple machine now at my fingertips.

I knew my mouth was hanging open, I knew that Edward was smiling brightly at the way I tried to speak but failed several times, only half-sounds and incoherent words coming out for a moment, while my wide eyes ran over and over the breathtaking Ducati motorcycle that I honestly could not believe I was looking at.

"Well...what do you think...?" Edward's jovial voice somewhat snapped me out of my awestricken state as I finally recognized the need to close my mouth and blink my eyes before answering him.

"This is...this...wow...uhh...God...whew...man..." I rambled, my dazed, dreamy fog still trying to clear as Edward laughed amiably at my bumbling state before wrapping his arms around my shoulders from the side, his rose-colored lips near my cheek as he whispered.

"It's yours, baby...this is for you," Edward cooed the words that made me lose my breath all over again.

"Are...are you serious? Really? You really mean it! Oh my God ! Oh...wow, Edward...thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you...!" I absolutely exploded into a chaotic scramble of joy and marvel, of unbelievable gratitude and soul-clenching love for this man before me, kissing me on my cheek and ear.

"You're welcome! You're welcome!" Edward laughed merrily as I threw my arms around my lover and lifted him off of the ground, spinning us both around for a few, gleeful turns that made him laugh and squeeze at my shoulders, before I carefully set him back down.

"Oh, man...this is...this is amazing, Edward...really. I'm like...I can't even talk right now because I'm just so...so..."I continued to try to pour out the toppling, invigorating emotions that were constricting my throat and warming my heart from so much happiness currently swaddling me in her wonderful embrace, made even more radiant by the beaming, pleased smile Edward had on his stunning face for me.

"I can see that, sweetheart," Edward chuckled once more, briefly lifting a hand to my unruly tresses and smoothing down a few curls in a loving gesture that soothed my racing mind and eased my overwhelmed senses.

Now able to think a bit more clearer, I blinked once more at the expensive machinery set before me, looking unfathomably dashing against the fading afternoon light behind it, before turning to face Edward directly.

"But, wait...Edward...darlin'...how were you able to afford this...?" I asked my lover with a genuinely worried expression on my face, steadily mentally preparing myself to tell Edward without a second thought to take the Ducati back should he have suffered financially because of it.

"Don't even worry about it, Jasper...call it a gift...from...me and my family. We all wanted you to have it, baby...you deserve it," Edward provided calmly, letting his hands roam down either of my black sweater-clad arms until he could lace our fingers together, his mesmerizing jade eyes softly boring into mine, telling me even after his words had ended that I truly was entitled so such a present, that there was no reason for me not to have it.

I let my own cobalt orbs search his for a moment more, simply to just appreciate all the warmth and admiration I was able to see there, before I stepped closed to Edward, squeezing his hands inside my own as I pressed our lips together in a chaste, bold kiss.

I purred only for Edward to hear as I felt my boyfriend slowly bring his arms up to wrap around my back, our fingers slipping away from one another as we easily embraced the other in a solid hug, our lips never parting as I savored the comforting feel of his strong chest pressed against mine, the delightful mint and jasmine flavor that was purely Edward wafting into my nostrils and teasing my lips from being this close and connected to him like this, the love I could feel radiating off of this man for solely me as I graciously accepted his gift with a kiss.

"...Edward..."I breathed, my eyes remaining close, the simple, tranquil bliss of this moment far too perfect for anything else to even touch my other senses, as he and I both rested our foreheads together, continuing to hold the other tight, "...I love it. I can't thank you or your family enough...this is the best thing anyone's ever done for me..."

"I'd do it again, sweetheart...I was devastated when you lost your first bike...I've been wanting to do this for you for a while now...I'm so glad you love it, babe..."Edward whispered with loving, nearly desperate silk lining his words, the same tone he would use to purr sweet, sultry promises and confessions to me late at night while the both of us were sated and comfortable in bed, simply lying there in each others' arms until we fell asleep.

I loved it, I lived for it...that refined, timbred tone of his voice whenever he spoke so passionately to me; every time, bringing a smile to my lips and wispy, feather-soft tingles to tease at my skin as I could feel how much devotion and purity there was within him, about us.

"Go for a ride with me..." I said rather than asked my beloved boyfriend, only then loosening my iron-clad hold on Edward's shoulders as he and I gradually eased our foreheads away from one other so we may look directly in each others' sparkling, vibrant eyes once more.

"You have to name her first," Edward countered playfully, flashing me with his feisty half-smirk as he shifted his weight to his other leg as he waited for my reply, his witty cockiness delighting me in every possible way as it touched my heart that he remembered something so small that I named my vehicles.

I laughed at Edward's endearing prerequisite before taking a ride on the motorcycle with me, forever loving out light banter and loving antics occurring between us, as he let his hands slide down to rest on either of my hips while I mindlessly trailed my fingers up and down Edward's white-covered biceps.

I rolled my eyes at my smirking boyfriend, my own smile unable to disappear from my features, from perhaps my life, before I cast my now thoughtful stare upon the lovely machinery sitting beside the both of us, the Ducati Monster looking ready to hit amazing speeds and carve down winding roadways, ready to thrill any person who dared to ride and take care of her.

"Nessie," I spoke aloud, answering Edward's witty demand of me in one, single word that both shocked and puzzled my bronze-haired lover at the same time.

"...what...?" Edward chuckled at once, adorable confusion written all over his remarkable face so close to my own, as I grinned in earnest at his obvious lapse at realizing the connection I had just made to create such a name.

"It's a Ducati Monster...like...the Loch Ness Monster...otherwise known as 'Nessie'...get it?" I explained my second motorcycle's ridiculous but clever name to my lover, watching with nearly tangible joy in my chest and eyes as Edward laughed out loud once more, our hands naturally coming together as we continued to remain close, so in love.

I loved how utterly free Edward looked right now as he finished chuckling and merely cast his warm, emerald gaze into my own...how miraculously happy the two of us genuinely felt around each other and in life in general, as if one of us was truly needed to offer stability and peace to the other.

He needed me...and I was certain that I needed him.

Motorcycle or not - in truth, the awe-inspiring piece of custom machinery meant very little to me in comparison to the wholeness I was able to feel each day simply by being someone special to Edward Cullen, and I had thanked God too many times to count because of this same fact.

He could have shown me anything this day, and I would have treasured kissing his lips and hearing the sounds of his stunning laughter even more than the gift itself.

However, the fact that my Edward had actually gotten me something as impressive and unbelievable as the Ducati motorcycle...I was blown away all the more...completely overwhelmed...completely beside myself.

And it was all because of Edward.

He never failed in making me realize even more happiness, even more spectacular possibilities that had me falling in love with life all over again.

He was the very enchantment that made everything worthwhile, exciting, and positive.

I loved him so much.

"Nessie it is, then," Edward confirmed affectionately to me, touching his nose to mine in a charming display of tenderness of which I found myself seamlessly melting in its magic, me being forever appreciative of the sweet, cotton-soft pleasure...as well as the intense, world-crumbling pleasure...that Edward always seemed capable of enveloping me in.

"...let's go for a ride, sweetheart..." Edward finished cooing the precious words to me, giving my hands a subtle squeeze inside his own before gently sliding away from my fingers, my softened sapphire eyes watching as though I were watching a dream happen right in front of me, as Edward, glorious in his colorful, natural beauty, stepped up to the motorcycle and beckoned me to follow.

I released the air I had not realized I had been holding inside my lungs, my lips curving into a broad smile once more from such a gesture, as I first offered the absolute love of my life, the one person on this earth I would happily live and die for, a quick nod in affirmation.

"Yeah..." I breathed the word, my southern voice not entirely sounding like my own due to the wonderful, yet staggering amounts of emotion and graciousness currently coating my vision and making up my world, as I began walking the short distance towards my new gift...and the man who made it all possible.

_Author's Note:_ WIN! THIS STORY IS FINALLY OVER! XD I hope you all have enjoyed my little fic, yeah? As for the song titled 'Slept So Long,' go listen to it now. It is the shizz bang booty, and it helped inspire me to write this story. XD Cheers and goodwill.


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